100 Lifetimes
by Maya-chan2007
Summary: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god. Life 45- Antonio needs to move a mountain so he can prove his love for his wife. There may be other factors involved, but they don't really matter. Multiple pairings MxM MxF FxF Life 45/100.
1. Life 1 It Begins

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 1; It Begins  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Spain and Romano are tired of never being able to see each other because of their duties as nations. When a 'helpful' mysterious god comes around and offers them a deal they can't—and don't want to—refuse, where will their new lives take them?  
><em>_Rating__: T for language; it's Romano, what do you think?  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: …Language, mysterious gods, my bad writing skills, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Spain, Romano, Erstrick (my OC), mentions of Prussia, France, Grandpa Rome/Roman Empire, and .  
><em>_Pairings__: Spain/Romano, mentions of Prussia/some other country (beware the vagueness of it all), France/World  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,347  
><em>_Notes__: So, here's the first chapter of a new multi-fic idea I had. It came from a headcannon of mine about fanfictions in general and me wanting to write down some of my ideas that I won't get around to. I hope you like it! Also, yes. They trademarked the meetings XD Plus, Erstrick won't be around a lot. For the entire fic, he'll probably have...seven appearances._

* * *

><p>Spain sat back on the grass, enjoying the cool night breeze. After weeks of sweltering heat, it was nice to finally be able to get some free time to spend with Romano in the cool air of the night. They had been dating for a while now and because of their busy schedules and duties with their own states they hadn't been able to spend time together. This week was their annual World Conference™ so the rules were more relaxed now. Spain hummed thoughtfully, running his fingers through his lover's hair as he lay on the ground. Spain wondered if Prussia was meeting up with his lover right now; France would have been meeting up with whoever struck his fancy, like that one red-headed waitress from lunch. Probably, he acknowledged. Even though Prussia, as a non-nation now, was technically the most free out of everyone and could thus move around easier, his lover wasn't. They were still a nation, and nations had responsibilities.<p>

It was within the last few years that the bosses from around the world started getting stricter and stricter about their nations meeting up with each other. Now the only times that everyone could see each other was at the World Conference™ or, if they were tech-savvy enough, through Skype. That just wasn't enough for the man who was the Country of Passion, especially when his lover was also a Country of Love. Not wanting to waste even a second, Spain had grabbed Romano's hand as soon as the meeting was over for the day and had taken him far, far away from everyone else. Romano was Spain's, and Spain was Romano's. There just weren't enough words in the four languages they knew (Nation, Spanish, Italian, and, ugh, English) that could convey the depths of Spain's love for Romano. But he knew he had to try.

"Hey, Romano?" Spain asked, breaking the calm and silence of the night. Romano twitched. Frowning, he opened one of his eyes and glanced irritably at Spain. Seeing that he had the younger's attention, Spain continued on. "Do you love me?"

Romano's cheeks turned a delicious tomato red. Sputtering, he looked away from Spain for a few moments and huffed out "Of course I do, dammit." Spain couldn't help the goofy smile that made its way easily across his face. He absolutely loved it when Romano told him that he loved him. It made Spain feel happy inside, more so than anything else in the world; turtles, churros, bullfighting and tomatoes included. Spain stroked Romano's beautiful red cheeks, gently turning his face so that Romano had no choice but to face Spain again. That little pout on his face almost did Spain in, but he was able to resist it; just barely, though. Romano _is_ the cutest thing that Spain had ever seen, after all. Even Romano's cute little brother wasn't quite as adorable as Spain's Romano.

Spain sighed contentedly. "You know, I love you Romano. I love you so much. I hate being away from you all the time."

Romano frowned again and sat up, facing Spain fully. "I hate it too, dammit. But what are we going to do? It's not like there's anything we can really do about it, bastard. Things are the way they are, and there's no changing it as much as we may want to. It sucks, but that's just how it's got to be."

Spain frowned, very uncharacteristically for himself. He pulled Romano in to a deep, tight, wonderful hug that made him feel better almost immediately. But only almost, because Spain still knew that they would have to leave each other again at the end of the week. That was four days away, and since the last time that Spain had really seen Romano was a month ago that was just way too short for him.

He was still hugging Romano, thinking about how much he loved the man in his arms. He hoped this moment would never end, even though he knew that it couldn't last forever. "You know, I wish we could spend eternity together. That would be just perfect, don't you think Romano?" Romano pulled away enough so Spain could see the smirk on his face.

"Eternity? Really, bastard?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, yeah, why not?" Spain questioned back defensively. He thought it was a romantic idea. "That way we'd always be together! Wouldn't that be great, Roma?"

Romano snorted, pulling further out of Spain's arms. "Hardly, dammit. If I had to be with you for eternity, or with anyone for that matter, I would fucking crack. Who wants to spend eternity with someone anyway?"

Spain really didn't like that Romano was dismissing their love just like that. It wasn't just some fleeting thing that would disappear with time. He would have to show him otherwise. Putting his hand behind Romano's head, he pulled the other to him slowly and brought them into a deep, passionate kiss. When he pulled away, Spain smirked right back at Romano's cherry-tomato-red cheeks.

"Well, if we were together for eternity then I could do that any time I want without having to wait a whole freaking month just to be able to see you again."

Romano blinked through the haze that was brought into his mind by the kiss. Frowning he pushed Spain's face away from his. "Idiot; things would get boring then. N-nothing would be…special anymore, dammit." Romano shuffled, looking away from Spain's glittering eyes.

_Buhyo~! C-cute~!_

_So, so, so very cute!_

Spain chuckled, wrapping Romano in his arms and setting the smaller man in his lap, his back to Spain's chest. "Okay then, Roma~" he said cheerfully in Romano's ear. Spain felt delighted when he could feel the tell-tale shiver run through Romano's back at that. "Eternity's too long… and you know how I've never had that great of an attention span." Romano harrumphed, no doubt thinking about how Spain never failed to shower him with love, adoration and praise. If Spain ever had any sort of attention span, it all went straight to Romano and tomatoes.

"If not eternity, then how long bastard?" Romano asked, curious despite himself. What? He loved getting praised like this, even if he never let it show. He could feel Spain smile into his hair.

"How about… for a hundred lifetimes?"

Romano turned his head around to give Spain an 'are you kidding me?' look. "One hundred lifetimes? Are you serious?"

"Very," Spain said, looking Romano straight in the eyes. "You said eternity was too long, well, one hundred lifetimes isn't so bad when compared to that, now is it?"

"It's just as bad!" Romano protested. "It's still stupidly long enough, dammit! A-and besides…" he mumbled, getting quieter as he spoke. "If it really was one hundred lifetimes… that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll even fucking find each other, you know."

Spain smiled gently at Romano, turning his head back to face him and giving him another kiss. "Yes it does, _mi amor_. We'll always be able to find each other. So, what do you say? Do you want to live a hundred lifetimes with me?"

Later, in the long, long time that Romano has to think back on this moment, he realizes that it was all that stupid tomato bastard's fault this even happened. Caught up in the moment because _damn_ if that fucker couldn't be romantic and passionate, the sly bastard, Lovino shyly looked into Antonio's eyes and nodded slowly.

"That…_does_ sound nice…bastard," he said quietly. "Too bad it'll never work."

"Who says it can't?"

Hearing the new voice, the two lovers quickly turned around to see if they could find who had said that. It certainly wasn't either of them, and it didn't sound like anyone they had ever heard before; and, being nations, they had heard many voices in their millennia of living.

"Ah…Over hear. Up in the tree."

Turning, the two saw that there was indeed someone lounging on one of the branches of the tree a few feet away from them. This was a very interesting-looking person with wild, unkempt hair, patchy clothing that they couldn't place to any specific area or time period of the world, a huge, wide, toothy grin shining at them from the darkness and a slightly maniacal glint in his eyes. It almost looked like he was taunting them.

"Who are you?" Spain asked curiously. He was kind of annoyed that someone was interrupting is Love-Love Time with Roma~, but this stranger seemed like an interesting guy. Romano, on the other hand, had some deep, primeval apprehension about this guy; almost like he had heard stories about this guy and his kind and knew to stay as far away from him as possible.

The man in the tree chuckled when he saw Romano's apprehension. "Why, I'm the answer to your problems, Spain! You too, Romano." The two nations froze when the strange man called them by their nation names. Who was this man?

"I see you don't believe me just yet," the man said. Shrugging, he sat up fully in the tree branch. "That's fine. Nobody really believes me when they've just met me; that would be too easy," he said with a smirk and a wink. Spain and Romano exchanged looks, not sure what to make of the strange man.

"That's…nice and all," Spain eventually said. "But that still doesn't answer who you are exactly."

The man sighed, looking annoyed at the questioning. "If you knew who I was, you probably wouldn't talk to me. I'm so misunderstood that way. But for now, you can call me Erstrick."

"Erstrick," Romano said flatly, raising an eyebrow. That didn't sound like any kind of name that he had heard before.

"What can I say, I didn't name myself," Erstrick said, shrugging. "Personally, I don't even like the name. It's what I was saddled with, though. But back to what we were saying before; you want to be able to spend one hundred lifetimes with each other, right? Well, I can help you with that!"

"How so, bastard?" Romano asked shrewdly. Spain was wondering the same thing. If he had the chance to be able to spend not just one, but _one hundred_ lives with Romano then it would be worth it to listen to the crazy man. But, just what could he have to offer Spain and Romano that would let them live together like that? This seemed too good to be true.

"Well, I can just do things like that," Erstrick said, smiling slyly. "You could even say that I'm a 'god'. But before I grant your wish I want to ask you something."

"Why do you have to ask us something first, dammit?" Romano protested, standing up to glare at Erstrick. Spain followed suit and stood with Romano, putting an arm around the smaller nation's waist. "And what do you mean, you're a 'god'?"

"I meant what I said. You're both Catholics, right? You could say that I'm one of the furthest beings from your God. That doesn't mean, however, that I'm not a 'god'," Erstrick explained, leaning back in the tree again. "We could talk all night about existential philosophical ideas, or I could help you out. The point is that I can help grant your wish. You want to spend one hundred lifetimes with each other, right?"

"Is that your question?" Spain asked. "The one you were going to ask earlier?"

Erstrick paused, thinking. "I guess you could say that. What I really want to know is if the two of you are committed enough to go through with this."

Romano scowled. "Stupid. It's just one hundred lives, I've already lived longer than that in human terms by now, and Spain definitely has." Spain protested about being called 'old'. "I think we're fine with living another hundred or so, dammit."

"That's not what I asked," Erstrick said sternly, looking sharply at the two in front of him. Romano flinched at the harsh gaze. Spain subtly moved himself in front of Romano, separating him from the temperamental god in front of them. "What I want to know is if the two of you are going to be committed enough to go through one hundred lifetimes together, even if you don't know what will happen? Are you willing to go through anything that life will throw at you?"

Romano remained quiet. Was he really willing to go through all of that, just for the tomato bastard? Jumping slightly at a touch to his hand, Romano looked up into Spain's smiling face. His eyes were bright with excitement over the possibility of spending so many lifetimes with Romano. But his eyes were also gentle, telling the younger nation that the decision was his. Spain wasn't going to force Romano into doing something he didn't feel comfortable with. He never did. That was one of the many things that made Romano fall in love with him in the first place. But they could never get any time to be together anymore. It was always your country first and everything else could come after. It hurt to only be able to see Spain once a month at conferences, and then only for a week. So if…if they went through this…they could have all the time in the world together. They could even have their own…l-love story, too, couldn't they?

How could Romano (truthfully) say no to that?

"Let's do it, bastard," Romano said, still looking into Spain's eyes. He felt the sides of his mouth start to tip upwards into what could very possibly be called something resembling a smile when Spain beamed at him, smile splitting his face (metaphorically) in half.

Spain had never felt so happy before. Now…now, he would be able to live with Romano! And have fun with him! And be able to maybe even grow old with him! Oh, there were a lifetime of possibilities now, and all of them involved Romano! But wait…

"What about our lives as Nations?" Spain questioned, finally breaking eye contact with Romano. "We live for so long, it's not impossible to say that we'll be alive in another thousand or so years. How long are we going to have to wait for this?" Romano looked up, startled. He hadn't thought about that. What would happen to their people if they gave up their role as nations? Despite wanting to get away for a (long) while, Romano and Spain still loved their people; it would be selfish to give up their well-being just so Spain and Romano would have time together.

Erstrick only laughed their concerns away. "I'm not that mean a guy; just think of this as a little holiday gift, from me to you. When you're done living for one hundred lives, you'll come back, just the way you are now. Sounds good, no?"

Romano still wasn't quite convinced. "What's in it for you, dammit?" he asked doubtfully. "Why would you go to the trouble of doing this just for us?"

Erstrick smiled. "I'm really not as bad of a guy as you think I am," he said cheerfully. "Plus, I get bored every once in a while. I happened to be passing by when I overheard what you two were saying. I figured that this would entertain me for a while, and you would also get to have your wish. Everybody's happy, right?"

As good as this sounded, Romano still had his doubts. He didn't know what exactly it was that made him feel this way about the god, but Romano couldn't help but feel anxious and uncertain around him. There was also a nagging feeling in the back of Romano's head that he knew this guy; no, that wasn't right. He had heard of him… almost like some kind of tale that Grandpa Rome had told him as a bedtime story. Then again, Grandpa Rome would tell him and Veneziano the weirdest bedtime stories, so who knew if his feeling was real or not.

All Romano knew at this time is that he couldn't trust Erstrick fully; he had some ulterior motive here, and Romano wasn't sure he wanted to know what that was.

Before Romano could consider this anymore, Erstrick jumped down from the tree branch he was in and stood in front of the two lovers. Placing a hand on their shoulders, the god started mumbling to himself. Steadily, a roaring sensation started filling their ears. The roaring grew so loud that Romano wasn't sure if he was screaming or not anymore. His head started spinning and it felt like his body was being stretched and torn apart at the molecular level. He tried to hold onto Spain's hands but he had already lost his grip.

As Romano and Spain started plunging into sudden darkness, they could hear a faint chuckling that floated through the white noise in their head.

"_I hope you'll still feel this devoted to each other after spending one hundred lifetimes together. Just remember; you won't always like what happens in these other lives…"_

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter One. Next up, it's the Sorcerer's Apprentice…Hetalia style! <em>


	2. Life 2 The Sorcerer's Apprentice

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 2; The Sorcerer's Apprentice  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Wizard!Antonio x Sarcastic!Minion!Lovino. Antonio has a plan to get back into the Hetare Kingdom, but it's going to take some convincing of his minion for his plan to succeed.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Meh, language, my somewhat-better-but-still-not-so-good writing style, incompetent and full of themselves wizards, etc. Also, no actual sorcerer's apprentices in here. Or Sorcerers for that matter.  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio (Spain), Lovino (S. Italy/Romano), mentions of Arthur (England), Francis (France), Alfred (America), Matthew(Canada), Ivan (Russia), Vash (Switzerland), Feliciano (N. Italy/Veneziano), Ludwig (Germany), Natalia (Belarus), and Toris (Lithuania). Also, very slight mentions of Seychelles, Hong Kong, China, and Ludwig's brother; I think we all know who he is, right? ;D  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, mentions of Francis/Arthur, Ludwig/Feliciano.  
><em>_Word Count__: 2,506  
><em>_Notes__: I really don't know why Antonio keeps getting kicked out of the kingdom (well, it's not that hard to figure out), though the real mystery is why King Alfred keeps letting him back in. The world will never know… Also, there is a reason why King is capitalized and queen isn't (at least for a while). Any guesses why? :3_

* * *

><p>"Lovino!"<p>

Antonio's angry voice echoed through the castle secluded deep in the mountains. The Great Wizard was upset, yet again, and needed his dear minion to come and comfort him. Preferably in the form of bringing in new ideas for taking down the Grand Wizard of the Hetare Kingdom, one Arthur Kirkland. But, if Lovino didn't want to do that, well, (Great Wizard!) Antonio wouldn't object to a hug. You know, to comfort him. Or something.

Lovino didn't seem like he was willing to do that, however. Well, that's how it always goes so (Great Wizard!) Antonio didn't mind. That much.

"Lovino! Where are you?" (Great Wizard!) Antonio called again, feeling more and more desperate. Where was his cute little henchman now? He wasn't in the kitchens, nor was he out in the majestic gardens that (Great Wizard!) Antonio had built just for his potion making and Lovino. He most definitely wasn't anywhere near the study or the library; Lovino had _**strict**_ instructions to stay _**FAR AWAY**_ from those particular rooms. Especially if he was anywhere within a five meter radius of any type of broom known to existence, and quite a few that were unknown. The poor minion had been cursed once by Arthur for insulting his eyebrows. Now, it didn't matter if he was just standing in the room, not doing anything, if he was in a study/library with a broom around the entire place would be destroyed. Antonio learned this the hard way…

Great Wizard Antonio stalked through his hallways, feeling more and more like a hunter looking for his prey. If Lovino was avoiding him again, or sleeping on the job (again)…

Entering the Spell Casting Room (what Francis and Ivan continue to call the 'Living Room'), Antonio halted when he saw that his cute little henchman was sitting in one of the lounge couches, reading one of Antonio's spell books. Looking up idly, Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"Took you long enough to get here, bastard," he quipped, turning a page. "So what happened this time? Did Arthur call you mean names again? Did the stupid hamburger-bastard King and his…imaginary ghost queen banish you from the kingdom…again?"

Antonio scowled, moving to sit across from Lovino in one of the armchairs across the low coffee table from him. So un-cute. What did (Great Wizard!) Antonio ever do to deserve such a sarcastic minion like Lovino? True he was cute and all, and his younger brother was dating the younger brother of a former (dead) friend of his, but still. Cuteness doesn't make up for impoliteness.

"No, those didn't happen!" Antonio protested. Technically it was true, since Antonio was still banished from before; it was kind of hard to get banished again, though King Alfred could probably think of a way how. "It's worse! Francis told me that he heard from Natalia who heard through the closet door from Ivan who was on the phone with Toris that apparently, 'King' Alfred is holding a contest to find out who the best Wizard of the Kingdom is!"

Lovino raised an eyebrow. "And…how is this bad again? And how does this affect me?"

Antonio rolled his eyes, raising his arms to the heavens above. What did he ever do to get such a minion as this? Was he horrible in a past life? That had to be it, right? Wait, how did this whole 'past life' thing work? Arthur mentioned something he learned from his travels about 'reincarnation' and how what you do in this life affects what happens in the next one. Then again, it was Arthur who said this; Great Wizard Antonio never listened to Arthur if he could help it.

Lovino ignored Antonio's existential crisis. It's not like this hadn't happened before, and at any rate; Lovino just didn't care.

"It's bad, Lovi," Antonio said, making Lovino give his reluctant attention, "because the contest is over being able to make the queen become fully visible! But there is no queen! There never has been! Right?"

Lovino snorted, turning another page. "Of course there isn't. The King had to get a queen so he could have control over the Kingdom, but because there wasn't one willing or available he made one up. Only that fucking wine-bastard friend of yours and that fucking Grand Wizard even claim to have met the queen. Obviously you can't take anything they say seriously."

"Yes! That's what I thought too!" Antonio agreed, peeking curiously at the book that had captured his dear minion's attention. It didn't seem right that a minion would read something like that while his boss tried to talk to him. Lovino should be paying attention to _him_ now, not some stupid _book_. Even if it _was_ one of Antonio's favorite spell-books… "But then I realized!"

"You mean Arthur or Francis, maybe even Ivan told you," Lovino interrupted, smirking lightly. A quick glance Antonio's way let him know that Lovino was just teasing him. Again. Antonio wondered, did Arthur have to go through this with _his_ apprentice? From what Antonio knew of her, she was something of a free spirit. Also, Francis and Arthur fought over her all the time. But then again, what didn't those two fight about? In Antonio's opinion, those two needed to get over what it was that was going on between the two of them already.

Then again, if they kept fighting then Arthur would be upset, and Francis couldn't come around and flirt with Lovi! Win-win for all!

"I realized, Lovi," Antonio continued, "that Arthur has an unfair advantage! He supposedly knows what the queen looks like! How is that fair to the rest of the contestants that matter—me?"

"And oh-so-modest, too," Lovino muttered under his breath. Out loud, he queried "why don't you just cast a spell on Arthur then so that he can't see the queen? Then you would be even."

Antonio stared at Lovino for several minutes, making Lovino squirm when he noticed that his 'boss' wasn't saying anything because he was staring. "Wh-what, dammit! What did I say?" A smile broke out over Antonio's face.

"That's it, Lovi!" he cheered. "I'll curse Arthur! Oh, why haven't I thought about this before?"

"You have. It's just never worked before." This was partially what led him to getting banished in the first place. But then again, some people just never learn.

"Then I'll just have to make it work this time around. Now come, Lovi; we need to gather up the proper ingredients, we need to also figure out how to make someone who's invisible visible and who doesn't exist to exist now, and…"

Antonio continued listing off his plans, leaving the room to get what he needed. Lovino sighed and closed the book he was reading. No doubt 'Great Wizard' Antonio would need it for his spell-casting later.

* * *

><p>Antonio chuckled, watching the lightning storm he summoned strike the sky. The conditions were perfect for curse-casting. What should he curse Arthur with this time? It would have to be something good, something noticeable that would either publically embarrass him and make the shorter man withdraw from the contest or it would have to actually harm him to get him out of the way. Hopefully he would notice this time. Last time, Antonio cursed Arthur to have rather large eyebrows.<p>

He never noticed.

_How?_

How could he not notice that? Then again, the time before that Antonio cursed Arthur's cooking ability. Never before had he ever regretted something more than he did that one action. It was actually what got him banished from the Kingdom the first time. When King Alfred found out that the cooking ability curse was permanent, he hadn't been that upset. For some reason, he was the only one able to actually choke down the horrible, poisonous torture devise (no, really, Ivan uses it all the time on the Kingdom's enemies) and live, even commenting that parts 'didn't actually taste that bad'.

…Then again, after making that statement public, the amount of assassination attempts by poison became almost non-existent. Even Antonio had to admit that their King was very clever. The King's Advisor, one Vash Zwingli, was even cleverer and sharper. He was the one who had the King banish Antonio for the second time when it became known that the bad cooking ability was permanent.

But all of that was in the past, now. Antonio just had to win the contest and then he could be let back into the kingdom again. This was really the best option; Antonio was starting to run out of money to bribe Francis and Toris with.

Hearing the door open, Antonio looked over to where his dear minion was wheeling in a tray full of essential ingredients for Antonio's spells. Antonio smiled happily at Lovino.

"Don't worry, Lovi; when I win this contest, we'll be let back into the Kingdom. Then you can see your cute little brother again!" And I'll get a better chance to mess with Arthur again~, Antonio thought.

Lovino scowled, looking down. "Stupid. It's not like that little bastard even misses me, dammit. Remember? He has stupid _Ludwig_ now. He doesn't need me…" Antonio felt something tug at his heart strings. He didn't know what it could be at first. Then he realized; it must have been Arthur, already trying to get to Antonio before he could get to him first! That bastard!

Lovino still looked upset, though. Offering up the best, comforting smile that he could Antonio drew him over to his side. "Don't worry; I'm sure he misses you. It's just that he can't see you right now, since we're kind of banished. But this won't last forever! We'll get back to the Kingdom, and then you can see your brother again! Doesn't that sound nice?"

Lovino huffed, handing Antonio his spell book. "I won't hold my breath, bastard. But here's your book; you might want to hurry up with finding that spell so you can actually win, dammit."

Antonio smiled. As long as he had his minion with him, he could face any amount of banishment that King Alfred and the Kingdom of Hetare had to offer.

* * *

><p>Antonio was later let back into the Kingdom (but not because he won the contest; Queen Matthew did [and he did not like being called a Queen, thank-you-very-much. Stupid brothers…]; since 'Queen' Matthew was able to make people see him on his own, his brother King Alfred happily made him winner). He was later kicked out and banished again when the rivalry between he and Arthur got a little too out of hand and the eyebrows of a visiting noble's son ended up growing to be the size of Arthur's. To be fair, Arthur was banished as well, though his banishment was notably shorter. This continued happening for several years.<p>

Eventually, a bigger opposition came around and threatened to destroy the Kingdom. Since King Alfred was already facing his Kingdom being destroyed (Antonio v. Arthur, Antonio v. Francis, Arthur v. Francis, Alfred v. Ivan [don't ask; they don't]) he wasn't that concerned. Then the enemy kidnapped the (manly) Queen. King Alfred decided to channel his subject's destructive energies into destroying the enemy.

The opposition never stood a chance.

When he saw how happy his brother was with Ludwig, Lovino eventually conceded to their relationship, but only on one condition; his brother and Ludwig had to get Antonio to like Lovino back. Luckily enough this was extremely easy. All Feliciano had to say was that his brother liked his boss, and Antonio was already packing for their honeymoon. Lovino kicked him in the shins for not asking him out on a proper date first.

Their married life was full of trouble, since Antonio just kept getting them kicked out of the Kingdom. But, it was still full of happiness and joy (Antonio) and contentment (Lovino), so they didn't really mind that much.

Arthur and Francis never did finally get along, but they figured they liked each other better when they were fighting. And they were okay with that.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Two. Next up—Catalia!<em>


	3. Life 3 Catalia

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 3; Catalia  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Cat!Antonio x Cat!Lovino. When a new cat moves into the neighborhood, Antonio-cat instantly takes a liking to him.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, beginnings of love-triangles (or lines, depending on how you look at it), my bad writing skills, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Francis, Gilbert, Feliciano, Ludwig, mentions of Arthur, Roderich (Austria), Yao (China), Sadiq (Turkey), Kiku (Japan), Heracles (Greece), Lise (Monaco), and Yong-Soo (S. Korea).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, mention of Ludwig/Feliciano, one-sided Francis/Gilbert, one-sided Gilbert/Ludwig.  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,855  
><em>_Notes__: I thought it would be fun if I tried out different pairings. And I was right!_

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><p>Antonio-cat wandered through the hallways of his owner's house, not sure what to do to occupy himself while his owner was out. Francis was a popular guy, and he worked at one of the most popular bars around. That's actually where he met Gilbert, Francis' best friend. Antonio-cat liked Gilbert. He was a lot of fun to be around, since he always brought over the strangest toys for Antonio-cat to play with. He also gave very good pets and liked to sneak him scraps of food, mostly to see Francis freak out about his precious cat suddenly getting fat. Francis always seemed happier and more alive when Gilbert was over. That's not to say that he was un-happy otherwise (though Arthur seemed to push it; Antonio-cat hated Arthur), but he just seemed…more himself with Gilbert around.<p>

The point was, Francis was off with Gilbert at work, and Antonio-cat had to figure out some way to entertain himself. How boring. Antonio-cat padded his way to the window. Maybe there would be something outside that would attract his interest, like a bird or a tomato or something. Francis had always thought it was weird that Antonio-cat liked tomatoes so much; in his words, 'what kind of a cat actually eats tomatoes?' Gilbert had laughed and said something like 'that's just how your cat is, buddy. You should have known something would be wrong with him when you picked him up from that shelter; shady business there, Francis, shady business…'

…Antonio-cat didn't understand what Gilbert meant by that. The shelter Antonio-cat had been atwas rather nice, all things considered. True, there had been a weird odor around the place, and he almost never got fed except when he was really good and didn't annoy the owners, and there were weird electrical sparks all the time, but it was still a nice place. It could have used some flowers, at least.

While Antonio-cat was in the middle of his musings, he failed to notice the moving van across the street until he heard loud voices arguing. At least it sounded like arguing. When Antonio-cat looked closer he noticed that it was actually a big, buff blond man nagging and giving orders to a smaller, auburn-haired man who was hovering around not really doing anything to help. Antonio-cat tilted his head; they seemed like an interesting couple. Not as interesting as Francis and Gilbert, but still interesting in their own way. Antonio-cat smiled. They could alleviate his boredom! At least until Francis came home. It would be fun to watch and see what these two would do next.

For the next few hours Antonio-cat watched as the big blond guy yelled at the smaller guy and brought the boxes and furniture into the house. The smaller guy hung around outside, glancing around the neighborhood in awe. One time, he happened to catch a glance up through the window of Francis' house and saw Antonio-cat looking out the window. The auburn-haired guy waved excitedly when he saw Antonio-cat. Antonio-cat would have waved back, if he had had hands. Instead, he placed a paw on the window. He watched as the man squealed in excitement (or at least, he thinks he did; it was hard to hear, since the man was across the street and there was a plane of glass in between them) and ran back into the house. Not soon after, he led the grumpy blond guy out and pointed across the street over at Antonio-cat.

Antonio-cat might have stayed longer if it wasn't for the back door opening and closing. Francis was home! And judging by the laughter, Gilbert was with him! Why would Antonio-cat want to stay up here and get pointed out by the new neighbors when Antonio-cat's favorite people were downstairs? Without a backward look, he made his way to the stairs. He was about to head down them when he was suddenly picked up by a cackling albino. Meowing indignantly, Antonio-cat struggled to get to a better position in Gilbert's arms. He purred when he felt the Prussian man start to pet him and scratch under his chin. Gilbert always had been a sucker for cute things. Antonio-cat just wished he wouldn't randomly attack and mess with him.

Francis tutted when Gilbert brought Antonio-cat into the kitchen. Shaking his head, he put his bag and coat away and started making himself comfortable after a long day of work. Opening the refrigerator he offered Gilbert a drink. Lifting Antonio-cat in the air, Gilbert demanded a beer for his awesome self. Francis laughed and brought out a bottle of Gilbert's favorite brand and started pouring his own favorite wine. Antonio-cat was finally able to wiggle his way out of Gilbert's arms and landed on the floor with a hurt meow. Hurrying over, he rubbed up against Francis' legs and started begging for tomatoes. Or tuna. But mostly tomatoes.

Francis sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Antonio?" he asked teasingly. Antonio-cat meowed again, saying that Francis should feed him. Also that there were new neighbors, but that wasn't as important; Antonio-cat had to have his priorities straight, after all.

"Forget him for right now," Gilbert said, leaning against the kitchen island as he took a long swallow of his beer. Antonio-cat glared sharply at him for saying that; yeah, well forget you too, Gilbert! See if Antonio-cat would share Francis now! "Instead, have you noticed that you have new neighbors Francis?"

"Really now?" Francis queried, intrigued. Antonio-cat could understand why. The house across the street had been empty for a while now and had been ever since the last neighbor moved away to get away from Francis and Gilbert. Antonio-cat wondered about what was going on with Roderich these days. He had liked him, even if he had been a little stuffy. "Who in their right mind would move in next to _moi_?"

Gilbert had moved over to the window by now and was looking through the blinds. He whistled low, smiling and chuckling to himself. "I don't know, but one of them is definitely looking _fine_." Francis frowned and raised an eyebrow. Antonio-cat noticed and rubbed against his legs again. Francis stooped down and picked Antonio-cat up, stroking his back as he did so. Antonio-cat purred, hoping to cheer his owner up. He hoped Francis didn't mope again.

"Oh? Which one?" Francis asked as he approached. Gilbert was about to point him out when he and Francis froze up and quickly ran to the other side of the room. Antonio-cat was confused until a moment or so later he heard the doorbell ring. By now, Gilbert and Francis were lounged in the living room, looking for all the world like they had been there the whole time. Antonio-cat was curious about who would be at the door right now. Most people came to visit Francis late at night, so this was unusual. Luckily enough he didn't have to wait for very long; Francis practically waltzed to the front door, with Gilbert almost giggling to himself.

Opening the door, Francis smiled graciously at the two men at the door. It was the smiling auburn-haired man and the frowning, buff, blond man from before. The smiling man's smile grew when the door was opened, though Antonio-cat noticed that he couldn't see his eyes.

"_Bonsoir, monsieurs_. How might I help you this evening?" Francis purred, batting his eyes at them and smiling slyly. The blond frowned, looking away exasperatingly. He had something in his arms but Antonio-cat couldn't see very well since the smiling auburn-haired guy was in the way.

"Ve~ We're your new neighbors!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm Feliciano Vargas, and this is Ludwig!" Francis' smile grew more and more. He gestured for the two to enter inside, which they obliged.

"I am Francis Bonnefoy, and this is my good friend Gilbert Beilschmidt. It is a pleasure to meet y—oh! And who is this little one?" Antonio-cat perked up. Was there someone else that he had missed? Feliciano had been bouncing around, making cute, weird faces for Antonio-cat. Feliciano perked up again, straightening and gesturing to Ludwig—or, more precisely, to Ludwig's arms.

"This is Lovi~! He's our cat, and earlier, when I saw your cat while we were moving in I thought that we should let them meet!" Feliciano chirped happily, gesturing to the handsomest cat that Antonio-cat had ever seen. He was pouting, with a grumpy look on his face. He was also panting slightly from where, according to the various scratch-marks all over Ludwig's arms, he had fought against being picked up and carried to a new place. He was a beautiful tabby cat, though he didn't seem to like Ludwig at all. Antonio-cat was immediately smitten. Francis smiled and gestured to the cat that was snuggled in his arms (and still trying to get a better look at the shy cat who was moping in Ludwig's hold). "This is my cat, Antonio. Maybe they will be good friends, _non_?"

Gilbert wandered over, giving Ludwig a once-over. "Hello there, I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt; how are you doing?" He gave a flirty wink here that Ludwig, Feliciano and the cats ignored. Francis' mouth thinned, but other than that he gave no other outward appearance of displeasure. Antonio-cat meowed, eager to meet the new cat, Lovi-cat. So cute~!

"Let's let the cats socialize while we get to know each other better, shall we?" Francis suggested. Ludwig started to protest—"It's late, we really should be finishing getting unpacked-" "Nonsense, you really must stay for dinner!"—but was eventually shot down and practically shoved into Francis' living room by Gilbert, with Francis and Feliciano chattering along behind.

That left Antonio-cat with a growling, bristling Lovi-cat. Antonio-cat smiled largely. Lovi-cat huffed and turned around, ignoring Antonio-cat. Antonio-cat cocked his head slightly. Why was Lovi-cat upset? Maybe he wasn't used to the new environment. Antonio-cat remembered when he had first moved in with Francis he had torn up all of the Frenchman's fancy pillows and curtains. Francis had been so upset at that; Antonio-cat didn't want Lovi-cat to get in trouble with Francis if he tore up Francis' pillows and curtains! Antonio-cat would just have to make sure Lovi-cat became as adjusted to the environment as he could.

Crouching slowly, Antonio-cat snuck up behind Lovi-cat. When he was a suitable distance away, Antonio-cat sprung and leaped at Lovi-cat, landing on his back.

'_Hi~! I'm Antonio-cat, it's nice to meet you Lovi-cat!'_ Antonio-cat started pawing at one of Lovi-cat's ears, watching as it would fold and then pop back into its original form. Lovi-cat growled low in his throat.

'_Get off of me, bastard!'_ he hissed. _'And my name is Lovino-cat, not stupid Lovi-cat!_' Antonio-cat vaguely remembered Ludwig muttering something like that earlier when Feliciano introduced them, but he had had more important things to pay attention to at the time. _''Lovi'-cat is just a name that my stupid owner gave me.'_

And that was how Antonio-cat met Lovino-cat.

It was a full week before Antonio-cat was able to see Lovino-cat again. He wasn't sure why that was, but it must have been because Ludwig and Feliciano were still getting adjusted and moved in. At least, that was what Francis and Gilbert would talk about in the evenings. Gilbert would be the one to bring up the subject, usually as the two would be having dinner or watching television while Antonio-cat hung out with his two human companions. Gilbert would make a mention, broaching the subject over how Francis' new neighbors were doing. Francis would pretend not to have heard him for a few minutes until Gilbert finally got annoyed and started hitting Francis with a pillow or something. Inevitably, because they were Francis and Gilbert after all, a pillow war would start, one that even Antonio-cat joined in. Well, mostly he would jump on whoever was closest and start tearing their pillow to shreds while meowing joyfully, but the feeling was still the same. Afterwards, Gilbert would ask again and Francis would answer that the most he had seen of the two from across the street was either of them coming and going from the house, usually with a box or two (or five, in Ludwig's case) in hand.

By the end of the week, Francis had grown tired of Gilbert's questioning so he invited the two over for dinner one night. Gilbert and Antonio-cat couldn't have been happier.

When Feliciano and Ludwig arrived, Antonio-cat was distraught to see that Lovino-cat had stayed at home that evening. Feliciano must have noticed, though, because he soon suggested that Antonio-cat go over to their house '_So they don't get lonely, ve~'_.

If Antonio-cat were a human and not totally interested in Lovino-cat, he would have kissed him.

Francis was the one to bring him over to Feliciano's house, though he didn't stay for very long. "I have to hurry back, you see _Anton-cher_, because if I don't we may no longer have a house to return to," he joked, checking over his shoulder at his house. Turning back to Antonio-cat, he had a solemn look in his eye. "I'll be back in a few hours. I hope things go better for you than they will for me…" he trailed off. Antonio-cat was confused. Why did Francis have a faraway look in his eye? Antonio-cat placed a paw on his leg and meowed a question. Francis seemed to come back to the present and smiled warmly at Antonio-cat. "Hey, if you're lucky, maybe you'll be able to get closer to a certain other kitty, hm?" Francis winked at Antonio-cat and glanced behind him. Turning, Antonio-cat meowed excitedly at the sight of Lovino-cat hissing from behind the banister. Antonio-cat was too happy to notice Francis as he slipped back off towards his own house and guests.

'_Lovi-cat! You're here!'_ Antonio-cat said excitedly, prancing over to Lovino-cat. _'Well, of course you are, you live here. But I'm here too! Isn't that great?'_

'_No!'_ Lovino-cat protested, backing up further until he was cornered in a small space that made him feel more comfortable than out in the open with Antonio-cat. _'And it's Lovino-cat, not Lovi-cat! Remember that, bastard!'_

'_Aw, Lovi-cat…'_

'_Lovino-cat!'_ Lovino-cat huffed, folding himself up as small as he could. It made him feel almost like Antonio-cat couldn't see him. _'So why are you over here, dammit?'_

Antonio-cat paused from where he had been trying to reach into the small crevice that Lovino-cat had managed to get himself into. _'Your humans are having dinner over at my human's place tonight. One of your humans thought that we would get lonely, so they put us together. Why, do you not want me here?'_

'_Of course not! I'm having the time of my life being alone in this huge-ass house!'_ Lovino-cat huffed. _'It must have been that bastard Ludwig who suggested something so fucking stupid. He's always getting on my nerves…'_

'_Actually, Lovi-cat, it was Feliciano who said we should do this,'_ Antonio-cat explained. He ignored Lovino-cat's protests at the nickname. It was cute, just like Lovino-cat. Antonio-cat wasn't going to change it now. _'Do you not get along with Ludwig? I get along with Francis just fine, though sometimes we fight.'_

'_You get into fights with your human?'_ Lovino-cat asked incredulously, slowly coming out of his hiding place. Antonio-cat tilted his head cutely in confusion.

'_Yes? Don't you? You were just saying that you don't get along with Ludwig…'_

'_That doesn't mean that I actually __**fight**__ him,'_ Lovino-cat protested. _'I don't know of any cat that would actually get into __**fights**__ with their human.'_

'_Heh heh,'_ Antonio-cat chuckled. If he had had arms and hands, he would have scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. _'Yeah, me and Francis get along really well, don't you think?'_

Lovino-cat stared blankly at Antonio-cat, not sure what to make of him. Turning around silently, now that he was fully out of the hiding place, he set off towards the kitchen where his food and water bowels were. Antonio-cat followed along behind curiously. As he did so, he looked around in awe. So this was Lovino-cat's home. He looked around, wanting to memorize everything. When they reached the kitchen, Lovino-cat went straight for his milk dish and began lapping up the drink happily. Antonio-cat watched for a moment, entranced with Lovino-cat, when he remembered something important.

'_Hey, Lovi-cat,'_ he began. When he saw that he had Lovino-cat's reluctant attention he continued. _'Since you're new in the neighborhood does that mean that you haven't been to the Neighborhood Cat Committee Meetings™ yet?'_ Antonio-cat always went when he could, but because of some…distractions this past week he hadn't been able to make it to the meetings. Now that he thinks about it, he should really go soon or he'll get in trouble.

'_No, not yet bastard,'_ Lovino-cat said. _'I've kind of been stuck in this stupid house all day long, dammit. I don't even know where they're held.'_

Antonio-cat smiled again. _'Then we can go together! I haven't been able to go this week, but we can go on the weekend! You'll love it, Lovi-cat. The others are so nice. Like, there's Kiku-cat, and Heracles-cat, and Lise-cat—she's the Meeting Chaircat—oh, and also Yong-Soo-cat, he's funny, and there's just so many others there!'_

'_Sounds crowded as hell, dammit,'_ Lovino-cat sulked, nudging his milk bowl slightly.

'_Well, there are a lot of others, but it's also a lot of fun,'_ Antonio-cat insisted. _'Plus, I'll be there, so at least you'll know me, right?'_ Lovino-cat considered this for a moment. Well, it wasn't like he had much of a choice anyways. The Neighborhood Cat Committee Meetings™ were mandatory, or as close to being as you could get. Plus, it was in the best interest to attend them since a lot of important things were discussed then. It was always a pain to find out that some important decision had been made and you had missed it, such as finding out that there had been a recall on squeaky mouse toys because they were unsafe. That had happened to a friend that Lovino-cat had known once, a Sadik-cat, who now had to go around with a bag on his head because his favorite mouse toy had been carrying some kind of disease with the catnip inside. He had had to go through a few surgeries and the scars were still visible; his owner, Yao, had placed the bag over his head with two eye-holes so he could see in order to hide the disfiguring scars.

'_Lovi-cat?'_

Antonio-cat watched as Lovino-cat's eyes came back into focus again. _'Do you want to go to the meeting with me this weekend?'_

Lovino-cat frowned. He turned up his nose, probably hoping that Antonio-cat didn't see the slight blush on his face from all of the attention that he was paying to him. Antonio-cat smiled at him. _'I-I guess that would be okay, bastard.'_

Antonio-cat squealed, jumping on Lovino-cat again. _'Yay, I'm so happy!'_

'_That's nice, now get off of me! Bastard!'_

'_Never!'_

'…_wait, what?'_

'_Heh heh heh!'_

When Francis, Feliciano and Ludwig returned later that evening to pick up Antonio-cat and go to sleep respectively, (after quite an…interesting evening to say the least. Gilbert wasn't allowed back on the street for another week) it was to the sight of Antonio-cat and Lovino-cat curled up together, Antonio-cat's body curled protectively around Lovino-cat. Feliciano squealed at how cute it was while Ludwig had a sinking feeling that he would have to associate with the crazy neighbor and his friend more often now. Francis was just happy that at least someone ended up with the one they liked that evening.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Three. Next up—It's Showbiz!<em>


	4. Life 4 The Superstar's Publicist

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 4; The Superstar's Publicist  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Rockstar!Antonio x Publicist!Lovino. After being rejected, Lovino becomes the publicist for the newest, hottest band around. Now, if only he can stop these feelings he's having for the guitarist…  
><em>_Rating__: T for language (seeing a theme?)  
><em>_Disclaimer:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, me having no idea what it is that a real publicist does (I winged it; hopefully it's somewhat believable), my bad writing skills, the fact that I don't curse in real life, so the cursing in here is probably a little much, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Antonio, Gilbert, Francis, mentions of Feliciano, Emma (Belgium), Vash, Gupta (Egypt), Matthias (Denmark).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, mentions of one-sided Lovino/Emma, Vash/Emma.  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,661.  
><em>_Notes__: Again, I don't really know what it is that a publicist does exactly. Please don't yell at me saying that I got everything horribly wrong. Thank you. Also, Bad Touch wants to get to Europe so that way they can meet Gilbert's brother who's stuck in Germany. FYI. This is the first chapter, so far, that my sister gets credit for, for giving me the prompt. Technically, this could be her idea. I just added my own touch and additions to it._

* * *

><p>Lovino was in hell. Well, not really, since he was kind of a devout Catholic and everything, even if he did miss a Mass or two. And was bisexual. Not gay, like how some people liked to label him, just bi. Okay, so the only girl he had ever actually loved was Emma but she was with that one shitty (scary) Swiss guy now, dammit; something about bonding and competing over who could make the best chocolates? Lovino didn't really get it. All he knew was that the fucking girl that he had liked since forever didn't like him back. That probably was actually the start of the reason why Lovino was in hell right now, dammit. Metaphorically, of course.<p>

It all started after Lovino realized that his feelings would never be returned. That was kind of the turning point of his whole fucking life. He was feeling depressed (of fucking course, who wouldn't be?) and he needed to get away for a while. His brother suggested that he work to get a promotion at his job so he could be transferred away. For once, his stupid brother actually had a bright idea. A miracle, really. So, for the next year or so Lovino worked his ass off, moving up from just some dead-beat journalist to a hot-action news reporter to where he was now after being transferred to a record company where he became a very successful publicist. His newest assignment was to be the publicist of some new up-and-coming band that was already getting pretty famous. Easy job, right? Just write a bunch of bull crap about how 'great' and 'wonderful' they were, and how everyone should come and see them if they had a pulse. Maybe put up a few blindingly colorful posters to draw attention and buy some advertising on the Internet. Nothing too much.

Well, that was before Lovino met the guitarist of Bad Touch International, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.

From the first time that Lovino had stepped foot in the meeting room he knew that he was in for a long headache. First off was some loud guy who was laughing obnoxiously as he listened to some joke that was told to him and talked on the phone to someone named 'Matt' or 'Matthias'. He couldn't really understand that well through the man's thick German accent. Or maybe it was just that Lovino didn't care; there was a very good possibility that it was the second option. He was the band's lead vocalist, though he also was a genius on the drums, Gilbert Beilschmidt.

With him was a blond man with a slight stubble to his chin. He was the one who had told the joke to Gilbert. He was lounging on the couch that was set out just for them with a wine glass in one hand and a beautiful, deep red rose in the other. He was the keyboardist of the band, though he also dabbled in other instruments depending on the song; by far he was the most flexible musically out of the three, something he took pride in. His name was Francis Bonnefoy and, judging by the flirtatious wink that was sent his way, Lovino was sure that he never wanted to be stuck in the same room with him alone.

Finally, the demon of Lovino's personal hell was a cheerful brunet with slightly curly hair, eyes as green as emeralds and a smile as bright as the sun. Sounds horrible, right? Lovino thought so too, though that could have been because Antonio couldn't take his eyes off of him ever since Lovino stepped into the room. Frankly, it was very creepy. When Lovino entered the room, Antonio had been sitting with his two band mates and friends, joking and laughing with them. But then Antonio looked up and their eyes met and for a moment Lovino couldn't look away. They were so green; Lovino had always had a thing for green eyes. Feliciano once said that it was because Lovino's own were '_alllmooossst green_', but not quite so he had '_green envy, ve~_'.

…Shows what he knows. What the hell was 'green envy', anyways? Idiot.

After brief introductions were made—"GAZE UPON THE AWESOME!" "_Bonjour, mon petite mignon~ oh hon hon hon~_" "_¡Hola~! Me llamo es Antonio,_ I can't wait to get to know you better!" "…why are they all looking at me like that?"—Lovino set down with the trio for a short interview to let Lovino know which direction he was going to go with the publicizing.

"So…when did the three of you first meet?" Lovino started, not sounding very thrilled with the interview. He knew that he would have to get his act together if he wanted to do a good job. The thing was, he just couldn't get into the spirit of things. Five minutes after meeting his company's newest clients and already he wanted to forget their very existence; this didn't bode well.

Gilbert leaned back against the couch, smirking jauntily at the young Italian. Lovino drew back on all of his experience to stop from shuddering; he only just barely made it. "Well, _liebling,_ the three of us met back when we were still in diapers and have been inseparable ever since."

"Though, that's not to say that we haven't had our fair share of fights, _mon ami_," Francis purred, stretching his arm around Antonio, who was closest to him. He sent a flirty smile toward Lovino as he said this, looking as though he was only discussing the weather instead of something potentially damaging for their band. Lovino frowned slightly, though it didn't look that different from his regular expression, and wrote down their answers. He would have to think this over carefully and figure out what kind of spin he would use with these guys; obviously, the whole bad-boy thing was cliché as crap, but still rather popular. Lovino's company didn't work with cliché, though; they were always leading the way with new innovations in the music scene. Then again, having a whole buddy-buddy thing going on would be even worse than the bad-boy scene. Maybe they could work with both, however…maybe a blend of both worlds? It would have to be done carefully, and it would take some thinking about which target audiences they would go for….and then there would be advertising, and smoothing over any scandals that would occur.

And with this bunch, they would definitely happen. Lovino definitely had his work cut out for him.

"What songs are you planning on focusing on? Genre, type, yadda yadda," Lovino asked next. Antonio jumped to answer, leaning forward and gazing deep into Lovino's eyes.

"Well, rock of course," he answered, smiling at the publicist. "But maybe also some popular music too; it all kind of depends on what we feel like writing."

"_Especially_ love songs," Francis added with a wink. Lovino couldn't suppress the shudder he felt at that.

_Keep calm, be professional; you've worked too damn hard to mess up now. You can do this, you can do this!_ Lovino chanted in his head. He would not mess this up, dammit!

Gilbert broke in before Lovino could talk to himself anymore (and that was not a sign of fucking insanity, shut up dammit!). "Hey, tell him about how we're also thinking of doing foreign songs!" Lovino looked back up at the trio from his notes with curiosity.

"Foreign songs? You're thinking of singing songs from foreign countries or something?"

"No, we're thinking of writing and singing songs in German, French and Spanish! Doesn't that sound like a good idea?" Antonio asked brightly.

"It sounds like a fucking stupid idea," Lovino said blankly. "You have to think about who your audience is going to be. We're in America, where the majority of the people speak English; true, there's technically no official language but there might as well be, English. You might be able to get away with some Spanish here and there since there's strong ties with Mexico, and maybe even French around Louisiana and Canada, but there is no way in hell that you're going to be able to get away with German. Just stick with English; at most, your accents will get you fangirls (and maybe some fanboys) so you'll be fine." Lovino wrote some more notes in his notebook, making sure to write in the important points that he would need to know for later.

"Hey, German's totally popular, the girls'll love it!"

"French is definitely more popular than you give it credit to!"

"So…Spanish is okay? Yes?"

"Shut up, Antonio!"

…Oh yeah, Lovino had his work cut out for him.

* * *

><p>Later in the week, the tour for Bad Touch International officially started. They were only going to be opening for a few bands at first, something that the band's silent manager Gupta and Lovino both agreed with. It would give the band time to build up a following and it would allow Lovino time to plan out the right advertising style for the band. His boss had agreed that a mix of bad-boy and best friend would be best. They even came up with a term to use exclusively with this group—Bad Friends.<p>

So far everything was going good. They were picking up a steady stream of fans, the T-shirts that had been ordered and made just for them were selling decently enough, and the group's homepage was getting more and more hits. Like Lovino had thought, the band's accents were very popular with their fans. He was even thinking of marketing them as an international band to go with the group's name. That's what Lovino was doing at the moment, actually; planning out an international tour through Europe if the band proved to be popular enough. With the way things were going, though, they would be setting the date for the international tour for next Christmas. If things continued to go well, that is.

Lovino was in the middle of writing down more ideas and schedules when he heard the door to the tour bus that they had rented for their tour open. They, being Lovino, Gupta, Francis, Gilbert, Antonio, their driver and a few other people who came along on the tour were currently at a rest stop in some state park for a nice little break before the concert the next night. Bad Touch was finally hosting its own concert instead of opening for one, so spirits were high all around. Last that Lovino had seen of the others was when they were heading into town to pick up supplies (such as snacks) and to enjoy themselves. This was why Lovino was slightly surprised to see Antonio come back early. But only slightly, mind. Antonio walked over and sat across from Lovino on the soft sofa-like cushion on the other side of the table that Lovino was working at. Antonio was silent for a moment, watching as Lovino scribbled out a sentence or two.

"What are you working on, Lovi?" he asked. That was another thing. Ever since introductions were made, he and his two friends Gilbert and Francis started calling him by the nickname 'Lovi'. True, the other two would still call him by his actual name Lovino, but Antonio was the only one to consistently use 'Lovi'. Lovino could almost believe that the other man had forgotten his real name, he had used Lovi so often. But, well, it's not like he could do anything about it now; the other would still call him Lovi.

"Work," Lovino answered shortly, not bothering to look up at the other man. From his peripheral vision he could see Antonio tilt his head cutely—I-I mean, curiously. Yeah. That was it. Shut up.

"I can see that," Antonio said, leaning forward on the table and closer to Lovino. Lovino glared at him but did nothing to stop him. "But, what exactly are you doing? What does a publicist do while we play our music?" Lovino frowned. It wasn't like he had to get his ideas written up and finished right now, but he was used to getting things done quickly, despite his laziness. A little break to talk with one of his clients wouldn't hurt.

"I'm working up a schedule for Gupta to look over," he answered. "If he agrees with it, then I'll be able to start advertising for you guys more. If that happens, then you'll get more fans, and if that happens you'll get more money. Then I'll get more money."

Antonio nodded along like he understood what Lovino was talking about; he doubted it, though. The man was always looking to irritate him, Lovino was certain. That's why he was always watching him, and trying to talk with him, and other stupid crap like that. That had to be it.

"That's cool; but, are you working on anything in particular?"

Lovino sighed. "I probably shouldn't even be telling you this," he started, feeling upset with himself for giving in to those gorgeous green eyes. "But if you and those two bastard friends of yours keep going with the way you are now then we may be able to get you a tour across Europe. But only _**if**_ you keep doing well; fame is fickle, and you have to keep attracting more and more fans," he cautioned.

Antonio's eyes grew large, a bright smile also growing on his face. "So…so, we'll be able to play across Europe?"

"Only if everyone does their jobs right," Lovino reminded him. "And I suppose it's useless to say this, but try to keep this from Francis and Gilbert, okay bastard? It'll just end up psyching you out if you keep thinking about it."

Antonio sat back, mind still reeling. "Okay, but what do we have to do to get to Europe?" Lovino raised an eyebrow, curious about why Antonio seemed so hell-bent on getting to Europe.

"Well, mostly it'll be up to me," he said. "I have to make sure I advertise for you all well enough and get more people abroad to become fans of yours. I also have to talk with my boss and your manager to see if we can work things out so that everyone's happy and making a profit. It's a lot of work, so it might not even happen."

Antonio seemed to deflate, but then he puffed up again. "So, we just have to become super-popular? Don't worry Lovi, we won't let you down! I'm sure you'll do a good job, too!" Lovino huffed at the name and turned his face to the side so he wasn't looking directly at the superstar. Antonio stood up quickly, saying he had to go and talk with his two friends. Before he left, though, he gave Lovino a quick kiss on the cheek. Before Lovino could react, he was already out the door.

Blushing furiously, Lovino tried to wipe the kiss off his face. This couldn't be happening. He was a professional. Professionals don't get involved with their clients; just think of the scandal it would cause to the record company, not to mention to the band's image! True, some scandals only ended up increasing one's popularity but this was sure to ruin everything!

…Of course, that was if Antonio really meant that kiss. He could have just been teasing him. Lovino scowled. It wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened. This was just like with Emma. He had already been down that road before, and he didn't care to repeat it. It would just end in…in heartbreak, again.

A-and why the hell was he still thinking that something could happen between the two of them anyway? He shouldn't just assume these things! It just gets him into trouble. Lovino stared at his notebook for a moment. Groaning, he flipped it closed and threw the entire notebook into his briefcase. With his mind all jumbled up like this, he definitely wouldn't be able to concentrate. Lovino would have turned the stereo system on the bus on if it weren't for the fact that the only music it was rigged to play was songs by Bad Touch. The last thing he needed was that bastard's voice to start playing through his head even more than it already was (despite the fact that Antonio only sung backup. A waste, in Lovino's personal opinion).

Enough of this. Lovino was bigger than this. He was prouder than this. He was stronger than this stupid, fucking, life-ruining problem. He didn't need this, especially when he was just getting over Emma!

…

Lovino decided that he was going to take a nap. A nap would help wonders, it always did. Besides, it was nearing siesta time; he was due for a nap anyway. Maybe that was why he was feeling so cranky now, Lovino tried to convince himself. He wasn't sure if it worked, but it helped him forget about his problems (temporarily) enough to head over to his bunk and settle in for a four hour long nap.

What he didn't know was that just outside, a certain guitarist was waiting against the side of the tour bus, watching sneakily as Lovino moved around inside and got ready for his nap. Chuckling to himself, the guitarist headed back into town to find a store that sold envelopes, paper, stamps, and other writing utensils.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mr. Lovino's Boss,<em>

_I just want to thank you again for sending Lovi to come and work with us! He's been a pleasure, a darling, and a sweetie! I don't know what our band would do without him._

_I know I've written about fourteen times before to tell you this exact same thing, but here it is again—__**THANK YOU!**_ _Thank you so, so, so, so much for sending Lovi! If you ever need tickets to one or more of our concerts, they're yours! I can't thank you enough for this ;D_

_Again, if you ever need anything, just ask and I'll do my best to help out. Also, I'm thinking of naming mine and Lovi's first adopted child after you (or, adopting the first one with your name since they seem to come with names of their own… By the way, what is your name? I don't think Lovi's mentioned it yet; oh, but that's because he's been busy, see?). What do you think?_

_Sincerely (and in your debt more than you can think)_

_Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>Guitarist, Bad Touch International<br>"We're carrying this sh*t international, baby!"—Gilbert Beilschmidt, lead singer._

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Four. (Yes, that's how the Bad Touch ends all of their letters; can you guess whose idea it was?) Next up—We hit the high seas!<em>


	5. Life 5 Lovino and the Pirate

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 5; Lovino and the Pirate  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Pirate!Antonio x Special Skill!Lovino; After being captured by pirates, Lovino feels that his life can't get any worse. In comes Antonio, someone from Lovino's past who's been lying to him. Combined with a (supposedly) crazy captain, this won't be easy for the poor Italian; now, if only he can find his brother…  
><em>_Rating__: T for language  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, long length (compared to others), my lack of good writing skills, a disturbing, deeply disturbing lack of Gilbert/Prussia (even though he's supposed to be here too)…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Arthur, Francis, Ivan, slight Gilbert, mentions of Feliciano, Alfred, Matthew, Grandpa Romulus (Grandpa Rome), and Matthias.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino; if you want, very slight Arthur/Francis and Gilbert/Ivan. If you want.  
><em>_Word Count__: 8,100.  
><em>_Notes__: Please excuse the somewhat abrupt ending, and the small role that Gilbert plays. I have no excuse._

* * *

><p>"Quick, bring him to the captain!"<p>

"Just throw him overboard, already."

"No! Don't touch him!"

"Antonio, stay back! This is up to the captain to decide!"

"I told you, don't touch him!"

Lovino stared uninterestedly over the huge body of water that surrounded the ship as he was led forcibly over the deck of the large ship he was currently on. There was shouting ringing out all around him but he paid it no mind. He was beyond caring at this point, since he had been grabbed from the marketplace and was kidnapped over to the pirate ship that was anchored at the docks. Currently, within the last thee months, his brother and he had been kidnapped; he had managed to escape but had to leave his brother behind; he met up with an old acquaintance from before (stupid Antonio, lying to him like that; bastard); and here he was now being kidnapped again and taken to see the captain of the pirate ship that Antonio was apparently a part of. Yeah. Just great.

Maybe he should have been struggling more. He probably could have even made a break for it a few time and escaped since the crew was still trying to decide what to do with him (no, Antonio, shouting his name over and over wouldn't make him turn around to look at you. Stop trying already, you lying bastard) but he didn't. Lovino figured, why even bother? It's not like he stood a chance anyways. His brother was gone, gone far away because he was _better_ than Lovino, and he was never going to see him again. Meanwhile, the guy that he had thought that he had known pretty well as a traveling merchant who came over every summer turned out to be an infamous pirate belonging to the most infamous ship around. Lovino wasn't feeling very much of anything at this point.

"What do we have here?" a voice drawled lazily. Looking up, Lovino was surprised to see the biggest eyebrows he had ever seen. He gulped, feeling terror make its way down his spine. There was only one pirate with a reputation like that—the infamous Pirate Captain Arthur Kirkland. Lovino had heard tales of him before (some from Antonio; why does everything have to keep coming back to him?), and none of them were good. Captain Kirkland looked over Lovino and his captors, raising an eyebrow at all of the ruckus around him. His eyes flickered back between Lovino and Antonio, who was still trying to get to the captured Italian. "Well? Is anyone going to answer me?"

The person on Lovino's left, whose hold on his arm had slackened slightly when his captain came over, straightened up a little. "Captain, sir, we caugh' thissun on our way to th' marketplace. We though' we could make a pretty penny sellin' 'im, but Antonio"-he shot the man a look-"started complainin'. Said we's can't sell 'im on account of 'im bein' importan' an all. We brough' 'im up here so's you could takes a look an' see what's to do, Cap'en." Captain Kirkland looked Lovino over again, more interested this time. Lovino started struggling again, not liking the looks of things. Antonio finally managed to push his way through the crew and over to Captain Kirkland's side.

"Arthur!" he protested. "Stop this! Leave him out of this, he has nothing to do with us. Just let me take him back to the marketplace, okay?" Lovino couldn't see, because Antonio's back was facing him, but he could tell that the Spaniard was trying to give a winning smile to try and make his captain re-consider. Arthur looked idly at Antonio, obviously not impressed.

"Antonio," he said raising an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, we're a pirate ship. Do you really think something like letting him go would be something we would do?" Antonio looked like he was about to say something when the captain interrupted him. "Unless, of course, you don't mind him being let off in the middle of the ocean? Since we've left the dock by now, in case you haven't noticed." Lovino and Antonio froze and spun around to look behind them. Sure enough, the docks and the marketplace were already getting farther and farther out of sight. Lovino slumped. Great, he was stuck on this stupid ship with these crazy pirates. What was going to happen next? They get into a horrible, freak storm and then all drown? Or maybe it would just be him? Because seriously, fate seemed to have it out for him. But, that's just what happens when you happen to be one of the Cursed. Or Damned; whichever made Lovino feel better about himself.

A sighing made him turn back around to face the captain again.

"If it'll get you to stop moping and _do your job_, Antonio, then we'll let him off at the next inhabited island we come across, savvy?" Lovino scowled as Antonio started thanking his captain. He wasn't just some sack of potatoes that they could just throw around like this! He had rights, dammit! True, he didn't know what those were anymore after the things he had been through, but he knew he had them! Though, at least they weren't just going to throw him overboard like how some of the crew started wondering about. Captain Kirkland threw a glare at those that had asked.

"Fools!" he exclaimed, startling everyone around him. "If we just throw him overboard then the sharks will start following us after _more_ scraps of meat! Do you really want those scavengers hanging around again?" A few men started to tremble at the thought. Lovino wondered what these men had been through themselves so that just the threat of sharks hanging around (Again? Lovino thought) would be enough to shake them. One man squeaked 'no' when it looked like their captain was waiting for an answer. Captain Kirkland straightened himself up (it was then that Lovino noticed that the captain was rather short when compared with the rest of the men; about the same height as Lovino, actually) and straightened up his jacket collar. "Good. Because if that was the case, then you would have had to go through Antonio and his friends if you wanted to throw him overboard." Lovino heard some gulps in terror, making him wonder why they seemed to be more afraid of Antonio than they were of the sharks. It was just stupid, lying Antonio after all (and no, Lovino was not bitter that Antonio had lied to him. Not at all).

Lovino was being dragged to the ship's hold where he would stay captive until he was left on some island somewhere when he started listening to the pirates' talk. It wasn't like he had wanted to listen in, fuck no; they probably would make him lose brain cells just from listening to them. Instead, it was when he heard bits and pieces of their conversation that he really started listening in.

"-and I say, if we keep makin' all these detours we won' be able to get to the Island of Paradise by the next full moon! We'll lose out on th' treasure at this rate to those damn Northern Pirates, we will!"

"Ay, we will. Who was it that was leadin' 'em again?"

"That Matthias-guy, remember? He's friend's w' tha' Gilbert that th' Cap'n trusts so?"

"_I_ heard he's friend's w' th' Cap'n, too!"

Well, all of that was really interesting (_not!_) but what really captured Lovino's interest was what was said next.

"But 'ey, speakin' of these detours, where's th' next one suppose ta be again?"

"The Coral Reef Cove t' pick up more people 'n supplies, then after tha' the one place w' th' ancient relics—what was it called again?"

"Ocean Hartrim, it is."

"Ay, ay, we stop there for Captain's voodoo supplies, and then after is the Port of Cork's Hollow-"

Lovino stopped completely. They were going _there_? If so, then…then Lovino's luck was pulling back around. His guards had noticed that he wasn't moving and tried shoving him. Lovino had only a moment to make a split-second decision. Glancing around him, he saw where Captain Kirkland was walking away, Antonio and two other pirates following along behind him. It looked like they were arguing with the captain over something, but Lovino didn't really care about what at this point. He had made his decision and he had to act fast.

Breaking away from the guards wasn't easy, but it helped that he had the element of surprise on his side. Using the speed that he and his brother were famous for around their hometown, he raced across the deck with his captors racing along behind him.

"Wait!" he cried, dodging a crewman who tried to tackle him to the ground. "Wait!" Antonio turned around quickly, giving Lovino a panicky look. The two people with him regarded him with interest. But Lovino didn't look at them. He had to get to the captain quickly! Captain Kirkland paused. He turned around, eyebrow raised.

"And why isn't he in the hold right now?" he asked no one in particular. Lovino was about to reach where he and the other three were when he was finally grabbed from behind. Yelping, he started struggling with everything he had in him.

"Hey, don't hurt him!" Antonio's voice rang out. He took a step forward but was stopped by Captain Kirkland holding his arm out.

"Don't make this worse for him, Antonio," he said, looking at him from the side. "Or for yourself for that matter." Antonio glared hatefully but did nothing. One of his friends put a comforting hand on his shoulder as the other whispered something in his ear. It must have worked, since he started to calm the shaking in his arms.

One of the men that grabbed Lovino ended up covering his mouth. As Lovino was dragged away, he had to bite the other guy's hand to free his mouth.

"I said wait!"

Belatedly, Lovino realized that he must have said something wrong. Captain Kirkland paused, turning slowly so that he stared at Lovino with piercing, acid green eyes.

"Arthur…" Antonio said slowly but was cut off by one of his friends holding him back. Antonio turned to look at him, but he only shook his blond locks. Captain Kirkland slowly approached where Lovino was being held, finally not being forced to head back to the hold. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, considering the circumstances.

"What did you say to me?" Captain Kirkland asked in a voice as soft as velvet. Lovino almost couldn't hear him over the sounds of the crew and the ocean in the background. "No one orders me on my ship, boy. No one."

Lovino gulped. This was his chance. This was the only chance he would get; he also had the feeling that his life was on the line with his next answer. Then again, when hadn't it been lately? Gathering up the last of his courage, he looked the captain straight in the eye.

"Iwanttojoinyourcrew."

Captain Kirkland blinked. Lovino cursed himself out in every language imaginable, inside his head at least. Why did he have to be so clumsy? Why couldn't he ever say what needed to be said, when it needed to be said? At this rate, he was going to end up killing not only himself but his brother as well by not doing anything! Why couldn't he ever do anything right?

"…Come again?" Captain Kirkland asked. Lovino blinked. Maybe he wasn't completely done in yet!

"I-I said," Lovino began, clearing his throat. "I want to…join your crew."

"Lovi, no!" Antonio protested. Lovino shot his own glare at Antonio. Oh, he _really_ had no right to tell him not to join a pirate crew if he wanted to. He turned back to the captain when he heard chuckles. Captain Kirkland was laughing at him. Lovino didn't know if he should feel insulted or not. Antonio warily looked at his captain.

"Y-you have guts," Captain Kirkland said in mirth. "Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?"

"I do," Lovino said unwaveringly. And he did. He knew what would happen if he didn't do this. He would be dropped off at some island, far away from where he needed to actually be—at his brother's side. He would probably end up working as he traveled back to his hometown and continue with the gardens that he was known for far and wide and make a somewhat steady profit. He would probably even be able to settle down and eventually retire comfortably. Meanwhile his brother would still be a captive of those horrible people who had taken the both of them in the first place. Lovino couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let his brother remain with those people; he still remembered that blank expression as it regarded him idly, commenting on how they would use the both of them for their plan of domination. He also remembered those poisonous purple eyes that would look through him, the spare. The un-needed one. No, Lovino couldn't leave Feliciano alone with them any longer than necessary. If it meant having to join this crew and work alongside Antonio then that's what he would have to do.

Captain Kirkland raised an eyebrow. Lovino continued staring him straight in the eye. Some sort of recognition flashed through Captain Kirkland's eyes, along with brief surprise. Just as quickly he grabbed Lovino's chin and pulled his face closer, turning it this way and that as he looked deep into his eyes. Lovino was starting to feel uncomfortable but he didn't say a word.

"Arthur…" Antonio said in a warning tone of voice. He sounded angry. Captain Kirkland broke into a slow smile, looking unbelievably happy all of a sudden.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked, excitement tingeing his voice. Lovino was starting to feel unsure about his decision, but it was too late for regrets now.

"Lovino Vargas," he answered. Captain Kirkland looked satisfied, releasing his chin.

"What are you planning, Arthur?" the blond haired companion of Antonio asked teasingly. Captain Kirkland ignored him.

"Welcome aboard the _Victoria's Pride_, Lovino Vargas," Captain Kirkland said, smile on his face. "I look forward to working with you."

* * *

><p>Life as a pirate wasn't quite what Lovino had been expecting. Then again, it's not like he had ever really given it much consideration before. It was just something that was there. Of course, it's not like he really would have thought about it before since really, how many times does someone really think about how a pirate lives, especially when they're a farmer who's making a living for themselves like Lovino?<p>

After his 'talk' with Captain Kirkland, Lovino was given the task of washing the spare linens—grunt work basically. Lovino didn't mind, though; it gave him time to get away from Antonio who kept coming up to him wanting to 'talk' and 'explain himself'. Bull shit. He was probably going to try to feed Lovino more lies, like he wasn't really working for the pirates but was instead a spy for the royal crown somewhere. Or maybe he was actually kidnapped by them as well and was forced to work for them now! Lovino paused in his work of trying to scrub a particularly nasty stain out of an old shirt. No, those were just things that Lovino _wanted_ to hear. He _wanted_ to be told that not everything was a lie; that Antonio was still the silly, slightly clueless merchant who came around every summer looking to buy the tomatoes that Lovino grew, maybe even listen to some of the songs that his brother would sing. He wanted to be told that he wasn't wrong. But, since he was here in some hold of a pirate ship, cleaning the pirates' dirty laundry Lovino knew he was wrong. Antonio had lied to him. That was just the kick in the pants that Lovino needed right now, especially after his brother's kidnapping.

"…Lovi?"

Lovino frowned. He started scrubbing extra hard, vengefully hoping that it was Antonio's shirt that he was putting a hole into right now. He wouldn't look towards the doorway where Antonio was leaning in, nor would he give Antonio his attention. A prickling started around his eyes, but he ignored that too. He heard a sigh from behind.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, and you probably have a lot of questions-"

"Mad doesn't even begin to cover it, bastard," Lovino told him. He cringed slightly, realizing that he had in fact answered him out loud. So much for ignoring him, dammit.

"Uh…Yeah, I guess so," Antonio said, sounding very awkward. He moved so that he ended up on the other side of the wooden wash barrel that Lovino was crouched in front of. "I can explain, though!"

Since Lovino was already talking to him (damn his crumbling will! Damn it he says!) he decided to look at the bastard too, waiting for an explanation. Antonio brightened up when he saw that he had the Italian's attention and jumped ahead with his explanation. It seemed he was eager to explain himself before Lovino told him to fuck off. Which he totally was going to do, if it was anything he didn't want to hear.

…Maybe he should stop being such a jackass.

…

Nah.

"Okay, so, you know we met when you and your brother" Lovino flinched but Antonio didn't notice "were at that one market when you were younger, remember?" Lovino did. But, because he was still mad at Antonio he just gave him a blank stare. "Or maybe you don't; well, it was a long time ago…"

"Just get on with it, bastard," Lovino interrupted. "I still have to finish up these shirts and then get to the pants, bed sheets and anything else the Captain can throw at me."

Antonio frowned. "That's another thing, why did you join the crew? Especially _Arthur's_ crew?"

Lovino stiffened. Oh yeah, like he was going to explain his reasons to _him_. Antonio read the look Lovino was giving him and sighed. "Fine, fine, I deserve that."

Lovino looked down at the shirt in his hand. It was a miracle there wasn't a hole in it from where he had been scrubbing it so hard. Deciding not to press his luck, he dropped the shirt and the brush and started shuffling embarrassedly, not looking anywhere around Antonio's general direction.

"…Weren't you going to explain yourself, bastard?" he mumbled. He saw where Antonio was about to reach out for him but stopped himself.

"Yeah, I was," he said quietly. Clearing his throat, he said in a louder voice "So you remember meeting me and hearing me say that I was in the area on business." Lovino nodded, still not looking at Antonio. "Well, that was true; just not the kind of business you thought it was." Well no duh, obviously he was a pirate back then. Well, it was obvious now. Hindsight's a bitch.

"I won't get into details, but I had some time off and I was hungry so I went to look around the market and I met you and little Feli." Lovino remembered. He and his brother had just gotten started out on their own after their grandpa had died. Lovino, thanks to his natural 'talent', was gifted with gardening. Similarly, his brother was very good at singing. They had set up a little stand that they had had to build themselves and they were selling Lovino's first ever surplus. It might not have been exactly market ready, and definitely wasn't a competition with some of the other vegetables that were being sold but it was all he had and he was proud. Feliciano's voice was still a little squeaky, and he still couldn't reach the very high or low notes, but it was improving. They were confident (hopeful) that they would at least be able to earn a little profit. Antonio was their first customer.

"…why didn't you tell us?" Lovino demanded suddenly. Tell _him _he thought. "Did you think we would have treated you differently?" Antonio kept silent. Lovino finally looked back up at him. He was surprised at what he saw. Sadness. Regret. Pain. And a hint of something else, something deeper…

Before Lovino could consider anything else, and before Antonio could answer, he was called away by someone. Antonio sighed again. He was doing that a lot, Lovino noticed. He wondered if it was just something he did around him.

"I'm coming!" he shouted back when the voice called for him again.

"Sorry, Lovino," he said as he left, not glancing back. Lovino had a feeling that he was referring to more than just having to leave and cut his talk short. Lovino huffed, getting back to work before he got yelled at.

"Idiot."

* * *

><p>Lovino was starving. Well, not really. But it <em>had<em> been a long time since he had last eaten, and an even longer time since he had eaten a full meal. Those guys hadn't really been that good with keeping him and his brother well fed. Well, they had fed Feliciano better than they did Lovino since he was more valuable to them than Lovino was, but it wasn't by much.

Either way, he knew that he wouldn't get much from the ship's cook or from anyone else on board. They probably weren't even serving anything good, either; probably just gruel or something. Lovino, despite his humble beginnings (and life in general) was still a gourmet. He needed good food, dammit! And that meant tomatoes! Luckily enough, there were some plants growing up on the top-most, upper deck in the back of the huge-ass ship. He didn't know what it was called, since he was still new to this whole 'being-on-a-ship' thing. But that's what he was going to call it.

Carefully, he made his way to the top of the ship. It was nighttime and there was hardly anyone walking around at this time of night. In fact, the only ones that Lovino could see and hear were a few workers all the way at the front, someone at the steering wheel of the ship (okay, he seriously needed to learn what these things were called; he _really_ didn't want to be laughed at) that was just below where he needed to be and a crewman or two up in the crow's nest (yes! He got one right!). Sticking to the shadows, something he was disturbingly good at by now, he crept along the side of the ship. Nobody paid any attention to him, something he was immensely grateful for. The only light that he saw came from a room on one of the upper decks, right in front of the steering. This was good for Lovino, since the light was facing away from where he was. A shadow passed in front of the light inside of the room every now and then, but Lovino figured he was safe as long as he kept quiet.

The hardest part was creeping up on the stairs. They creaked underfoot every now and then. Every time Lovino would step down and hear a creak, he was sure that he was about to get caught. He didn't even want to think about what would happen then. But, luckily enough, no one came to check up on the noise from the stairs, if they even heard it at all. For all Lovino knew, the sound could have just been multiplied in his mind from fear.

This was crazy. This was insane. Was he really willing to risk all of this just for some fresh fruit? Lovino's stomach answered for him, carrying out across the deck further than the creaking of the stairs ever did. Yes. Yes, he was willing to get caught for food. He didn't care that it would make him look like a beggar; he was one now, or as good as. What did he have to lose anyway?

Hunger getting the better of him, Lovino rushed straight over to the tomato plants. Touching a leaf and feeling the firmness of the fruit, Lovino frowned. These weren't ready. These weren't even close to ready. There were a few green tomatoes on one of the plants, and the others were starting to get rotten on the other plant. Great, the only tomatoes on board were either not ready or were long past ready. What was Lovino going to do now?

His stomach growled again. Lovino snapped his arms around it, hoping to smother the sound. The hunger was driving him insane. Okay, think this out, Lovino. So, you're hungry. Well, no shit; really? He hadn't noticed. So, since he's hungry, he wants tomatoes. Yeah, Lovino was pretty sure he had covered that. But the only tomatoes were bad ones. Yeah, he had figured that one out too.

So what was he going to do about it?

Lovino paused. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! No way was he going to do _that_ on board! Look at what happened last time! Look at all the trouble it ended up causing him and his brother!

Lovino's stomach growled one more time.

Well, his brother wasn't here anymore. The only people who knew about what he could do, or even what it meant were in a port city far away, holed up in some compound with his brother and who knew how many others like him. It's…it's not like he would get caught…And even if he was, he could always explain away what it was he was doing; just a trick of the eye, not really what you're thinking you're seeing.

And he was so, so, _so_ hungry.

Gulping, Lovino closed his eyes. It took a moment, because he hadn't practiced in a long time, and he found the ball of energy that rested in his abdomen. It was tighter than usual, harder to get a hold of at first because of a lack of use. Lovino took a moment to stop and think back to when he had last used his 'gift'. It had to have been…three months ago. Three months since those two had approached him and his brother at their home. Three months since they were stolen away. Three months since his life was turned upside down. Had it only been three months? It felt longer than that for some reason.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, Lovino pulled on the ball of energy, feeling around for a loose strand. That was the way his 'gift' manifested itself to him. His brother said that his was more like clay that he could mold this way and that. But for Lovino, it was a string. When he found the end, Lovino started winding it up, weaving it in between his fingers and making different shapes out of it. Opening his eyes, he focused on the plant in front of him, the one with the green tomatoes. It would be easiest to work with this plant, since they would be grown into real tomatoes in a few days, a week or so tops. Using his energy string, Lovino imagined laying his string's pattern over the plant and watching as the strands melted into the plant and started speeding up the growth. Lovino knew how much Antonio liked tomatoes too, though. These plants were no doubt his. If Antonio still liked tomatoes just as much as he did back when he used to visit the markets that Lovino and Feliciano worked at, which Lovino was sure he did, then he probably counted the number of fruit on each plant. Lovino could grow more fruit to take their place, but it would take too much time to do. He would have to only take one or two, perhaps three if he was feeling lucky. Well, he had done so far. Why not go for all three?

Because it had been a while since he had last made anything grow, it took Lovino three minutes for him to make one of the fruit grow to maturation. He felt insulted. It shouldn't have even taken half that long; he was rusty. Making a mental note to practice again when he had time, Lovino picked the freshly ripened fruit off the plant. It was almost to his mouth when a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, effectively scaring the crap out of him. But that surprise wasn't nearly as shocking, or as terrifying, as when he saw who it was that had grabbed him.

Captain Arthur Kirkland.

He had that mad look in his eye again, and that crazed smile on his face as well. Crap, crap, crap! He had caught him! In the act! Lovino was screwed. Okay, so maybe he hadn't seen him use his 'talent', but that didn't mean that he didn't catch him stealing. Lovino even had the evidence in his hand!

"C-c-captain Kirkland!" Lovino squeaked. "Uh, um, I can explain…" he stuttered, not knowing how he was going to get out of this.

"Explain?" Captain Kirkland repeated quizzically, not losing the smile on his face. "You don't have to explain anything, Vargas. I know everything, everything about that power of yours."

Lovino squeaked again, but this time it sounded like he was dying inside. How? How could this man know about that? Captain Kirkland started chuckling at the look on his face. "Oh, I think you and I need to have a private word in my office, don't you?"

* * *

><p>So, it turns out that the room with the light that Lovino had seen earlier was the Captain's Offices and Rooms. How did he find out? Captain Kirkland had dragged him there himself, but not without Lovino's protests. They had been interrupted on the way by a big, towering man with a scarf and a perpetual smile. Lovino had seen him earlier with the rest of the crew. He had plenty of reasons to be scared of this man, he knew, but the only thing that stuck out to him was his purple eyes. He was scared of those eyes; he had seen them often enough before hand to be wary of anyone else who had those same eyes.<p>

"Captain," the man said as Captain Kirkland cheerfully (no, seriously, what the hell?) dragged Lovino along behind him. He had a slight Russian accent, but Lovino tried not to make himself known to the taller man. He had enough to deal with right now in the form of a crazy captain. Dammit, maybe he should have listened to Antonio after all…

"Yes, Ivan?" Captain Kirkland asked idly, keeping his tight grip on Lovino's arm. Lovino kept struggling to get away, but it was pointless. He didn't even know where he was going to run to escape, especially since he was stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean.

Ivan glanced between his captain and Lovino, looking slightly confused. "What are you doing, captain? Are you taking him somewhere?"

"To my offices," Captain Kirkland responded, dragging Lovino along with him again. "Don't disturb us, alright?" Ivan frowned from behind Arthur and Lovino. Hurrying, he went to go get Antonio. Maybe he would know how to handle this situation, especially since he gave express orders to everyone that Lovino was off limits and to report anything to him if anything happened. Ivan was pretty sure this counted as 'anything'.

In Captain Kirkland's office, the pirate captain shoved Lovino into the room and locked the door behind them. Lovino stumbled over to the far wall, trying to stay far away from the crazy captain.

"Wh-what do you want with me, dammit?" he whimpered. _Whimpered._ Oh yes, Lovino certainly had fallen from the big, strong, tough, manly Italian man he had been before. Captain Kirkland raised an eyebrow, expression calm once again. He walked casually to his desk that had maps of various types and other nautical instruments on top of it. Sitting behind his desk, he gestured to one of the chairs in facing the desk.

"Sit," he said simply. Lovino stayed where he was, not trusting the captain after what had just happened. Captain Kirkland stared at Lovino and shook his head. "Really, I'm not going to bite. What did Antonio tell you about me? Rubbish." Gesturing to a platter full of cheeses and fruits, even a flask of wine, that Lovino had only just noticed, he once again ordered Lovino to sit down. "You look starved; have something to eat before you pass out. You're no good to me dead, you know."

Lovino, still wary, slowly approached the seat. As much as he didn't want to, he took the seat. He was too hungry to refuse, and too scared to try. Not wasting another moment, he grabbed the nearest item off of the plate which happened to be a large chunk of cheese and stuffed it into his mouth, grabbing more food as he did. Captain Kirkland looked on in slight disgust but Lovino didn't care at the moment. Right now, this was the best food he had ever eaten. Probably even better than tomatoes; it had been so long since he had last had one, he had forgotten the taste. When he finally slowed down, he remembered the situation he was in. Sitting stiffly in his chair, arms at his side, he glanced up at the captain, afraid of what was to come next. To his surprise, Captain Kirkland was smirking slightly at him.

"Better?" he asked sarcastically. Lovino flushed. Stupid captain, tempting him with food when he hadn't eaten in at least a day and then taunting him like that. Instead of answering him, he asked the captain a question of his own.

"Why am I here?" he asked quietly. Captain Kirkland leaned forward, and interested gleam in his eye.

"Why do you think?" he said just as quietly. Lovino squirmed in his seat, extremely uncomfortable.

"…you said something about a 'power' of mine," Lovino told him. "What did you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said," Captain Kirkland replied. "I wouldn't have let you join my crew otherwise." Lovino remembered earlier that day, when the captain had grabbed him and was looking him over intently—like he was looking for something. Like he had recognized something inside of him.

Lovino shook his head. "I-I don't know what you're saying, dammit."

"Oh, I think you do, Lovino Vargas. You just don't want to admit it to yourself."

"Bullshit!" he shouted, standing up abruptly. The captain had an amused look on his face again, but he also had that gleam in his eye yet again. This time Lovino recognized it. Despite how calm on the outside he was, Captain Kirkland was anticipating something; almost like he was looking forward to something that could happen, and Lovino was somehow involved. Lovino wasn't sure how he felt about this.

"I saw what you did with those plants earlier," Captain Kirkland mentioned idly, watching for Lovino's response. He wasn't disappointed. Lovino flinched, falling back into the seat he had just vacated. "I saw you heading up there earlier and I wondered what you could be up to. As a captain, it's my job to make sure I know what everyone's up to on my ship, you see."

"Great, so you know I'm a freak," Lovino blustered, looking to the side. "So what?"

"So, I know you're not a 'freak'," Captain Kirkland countered, picking up an apple from the tray on his desk. Taking out a knife, he started peeling the apple. But Lovino knew better; he saw how the captain's hands shook as he was peeling, and the effort it took to appear calm. He knew the captain was anything but right now. He was getting as excited as he had looked earlier, but he was trying not to scare him.

"Then what am I?" Lovino asked bitterly. He knew what he was. It was because of this stupid 'talent' that he and his brother were targeted. If he wasn't a freak, then what was he?

"Someone special," Captain Kirkland answered simply. "Someone with a special power—a Power User. They're very rare, as you've probably noticed-" Lovino snorted. Captain Kirkland raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I take it you've met others?"

Lovino shifted uncomfortably. "…My brother was one, too," he answered. "And our grandfather. It runs in the family," he said with a bitter twist of his mouth. Captain Kirkland leaned forward again, extremely interested again.

"Yes, I've heard that these powers run through familial lines," he said. "Are you sure you haven't met any others?"

Lovino stared at Captain Kirkland. "Why do you keep asking me this?"

"Why aren't you answering my question?"

"Why aren't you answering mine?"

"I asked you first."

"I'm the one with the special powers, I think I'm entitled."

"I'm the _Captain_ of this ship we're on, _I'm_ entitled."

"…damn."

Captain Kirkland smiled in triumph. Lovino suddenly had the feeling that the both of them were acting very juvenile just now. Deciding to ignore the feeling, he answered the captain.

"…About three months ago, my brother and I were setting up for market day," Lovino told quietly. He stared listlessly at his bare feet. "About halfway through the market day, my brother and I started feeling like we were being watched. We left early and by the time we got home we were even surer. We had just started packing up to get away for a while, hoping to maybe get away from that creepy-ass feeling when someone knocked on our door." Lovino swallowed back the bad taste in his mouth from the memory. "It was a pair of brothers like us, but twins. They seemed friendly enough at first, but then…"

Captain Kirkland leaned forward, very eager now. "Yes? And?"

Lovino fell silent. He didn't want to think about that day anymore, nor did he want to think about those two demons anymore. 'A safe place for people like us', they said. What a load of crap; all they wanted was to gather up as many with special gifts as they could and create their own society, with the two of them as the leaders. If nobody would come with them willingly, well, then, they would use force.

After all, there was a 'hero' among them, and heroes are never wrong.

"Lovino Vargas?"

Lovino raised his head. Captain Kirkland was watching him again, but this time with concern. Lovino felt his voice catch in the back of his throat. He opened his mouth to try and say something—

CRASH!

Lovino and the captain looked back at the entrance of the room where there was now an ax blade protruding from the once very nice set of doors. There was a pause, just enough time for Captain Kirkland to start protesting and rise from his seat, and then the ax was removed forcibly, making a large hole in the door, big enough for someone to enter through. Lovino felt that he probably shouldn't have been surprised, but he still was to see Antonio and the two people he was with earlier rush through the door.

"Lovino!" Antonio cried, rushing to where Lovino was still sitting in his chair. Lovino blinked at the sudden interruption. He didn't even notice when he was pulled into Antonio's arms into a deep hug. He _did_ notice when the taller man started murmuring in his ear in Spanish, though. Behind them, Lovino heard the captain come out from behind his desk.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "The door was open; you could have just come in!"

"No it wasn't," Lovino protested, turning his head to look at Captain Kirkland with a raised eyebrow. "You locked it; I remember."

"Details."

"So, is there a reason why you stole away Antonio's little boy-toy, Arthur?" the platinum-haired man who came with Antonio said. He was cackling as he looked around the office at all of the paintings and other memorabilia that was scattered around the room. The blond man from earlier looked worriedly between Antonio, who had moved Lovino behind him and away from Arthur by now, and Arthur who was scowling at the intruders.

"Nothing to concern yourselves with," he said haughtily. Antonio growled, glaring hatefully.

"You kidnapped Lovino and brought him somewhere he didn't want to go to!" he accused. "Ivan told me all about you dragging him in here and locking the door! That _makes_ it my business!" Lovino felt his cheeks turn warm. He…he cared that much? Even after all the cold shoulders that Lovino had given him earlier? Lovino frowned. He didn't deserve Antonio's kindness. He buried his head in Antonio's side, hoping the other wouldn't see his face. Lovino felt Antonio's arms tighten around him comfortingly.

He heard the captain's flat voice from Lovino's right. "We were having a pleasant chat when you came barging in. I'm finished with you for tonight, leave here already."

"Fine, fine, no need to get your knickers in a twist," the platinum-haired man said as he walked away through the hole in the door. Antonio sent one last glare at Captain Kirkland and then led Lovino away.

As they were leaving, Lovino saw out of the corner of his eye where the captain had pulled the blond man over to him, the same excited look on his face as before. He could just make out where Captain Kirkland was saying "Francis, Francis, we've found them! I have a lead to Alfred and Matthew!" when Antonio pulled him out of sight.

* * *

><p>The siege on Ocean Hartrim was long and hard, but it was worth it. Lovino was able to find his brother safe and sound, though he had a permanent scar on his face now. He had said it was from disobedience, and Lovino didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he and his brother slipped away in the middle of the fight and went back home in the country where they continued out their lives in peace, finally. Given the chance, Lovino probably would have missed Antonio more and more, but the Spaniard never gave him that chance; Antonio hadn't seen them leave, but when he heard that the two of them were missing he left and headed straight back to where he had first met the two little Italians that had stolen his heart, but in different ways. He still visits them every summer and stays as long as he can before he has to go back to the ship he's now captain of.<p>

Arthur and Francis quit the pirating world when they found what they were finally looking for. After managing to capture their two foster brothers they managed to sneak all four of them out, letting the world think that the twins had been killed in the siege. All who had worked for the two had been freed and left, hoping to never see Alfred or Matthew again. They got their wish. Arthur and Francis spent the rest of their days looking after the twins, trying to rehabilitate them so that they never did anything like that again. They died in their late thirties at the hands of a spontaneous house fire that consumed all that was inside of it, so they were never able to see if they were successful with their endeavors. As for Alfred and Matthew, the two of them were never seen after the fire again, having taken to the forest and to lands far away. Whether they were the ones who started the fire in the first place, only they knew and they never told a soul about their adventures from before.

Antonio and Lovino never got married, but that was mainly because Lovino didn't want to be labeled (or so he said) or be a hindrance to Antonio's career. That didn't mean they didn't love each other, though. Both lived to be old men, until they died peacefully in their sleep.

Gilbert, when he found out that he was abandoned by his two friends for various reasons, ended up forming his own crew with Ivan. It didn't end well, but the two had a lot of fun on the high seas.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Five; Up Next—Fashion! Put it all on me, don't you want to see these clothes on me…<em>


	6. Life 6 The Farmer's Designer Find

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 6; The Farmer's Designer Find  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Farmer!Antonio x Fashion Designer!Lovino. Antonio doesn't realize how his life will change when he finds a famous fashion designer by the side of the road.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language, like always.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, another long chapter, my seemingly bad writing style that's pretty choppy, my lack of knowledge about machines, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Gilbert, Francis, Feliciano, mentions of Elizabeta (Hungary), Grandpa Romulus, and Gilbert's brother.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, mentions of Gilbert/Elizabeta and slight Francis/Feliciano.  
><em>_Word Count__: 7,496.  
><em>_Notes__: I really don't know why people keep getting their cars broke down outside Antonio's fields. It's just another mystery of the town they live in. Also, this is the second chapter, so far, that was originally a prompt from my sister. So, partial credit for this idea goes to her. She knows who she is._

* * *

><p>Antonio was a simple man. He knew this, and he was okay with it. After all, what did he need complexity for in his life? He already had a nice, big farm, a nice house, both of which have been in his family for generations and he had a nice, steady profit from the crops that he grew. It wasn't much of a profit, but he was able to make ends meet. He had a nice, comfortable life. Did he really need anything complex to shake things up?<p>

That was when he met Lovino Vargas.

He had heard of him before, of course. Well, he had heard of his family name at least. It was kind of impossible not to, even all the way out here in the boondocks. Antonio would go into town where he would sell his produce to local farmers markets or to small grocery stores. While he would be in town, it was kind of hard to miss all of the signs and advertisements for the Vargas design line, the largest fashion brand around. But still, it was very odd to find someone like the heir and current genius of the Vargas fashion line out in the country like this.

Antonio was working in the fields on his tractor when he first met Lovino. Or rather, he was working on fixing the tractor. An important part had ended up cracking and Antonio really needed to replace it. Unfortunately, parts usually end up costing more than the tractor was worth, particularly if they were really important parts. Antonio really, _really_ needed his tractor to work right now. Wiping the grease off his hands, Antonio thought about his options. If he did a quick patch job, he would maybe be able to get his tractor back to the house. If he could manage that, then maybe he'd be able to order the part he'd need. It would take a few months to get it, though… If worst came to worst, he could always borrow some equipment from his Amish friend Gilbert so he would be able to finish out the planting season. Antonio shook his head, his brown, curly locks waving from side to side.

First things first, he had to get the tractor out of the field. He couldn't just leave it there.

Antonio was just climbing up into the seat of the tractor when he heard a spluttering, mechanical sound. At first he thought it was his tractor finally giving up on him when he heard a string of swears coming from the road. Antonio's fields were next to an old road that went through town, so it wasn't that unusual to meet a few people who had broken their cars down on the side of the road. Antonio was a very friendly person, so whenever that would happen (if he was around, that is) he would go over and chat with the person, maybe even offer his help if he could. He was getting more and more annoyed with his tractor, so he figured it would be better for everyone if he went over and offered his help to whoever it was that had broken down on the side of the road.

It would definitely be healthier for his tractor, he thought as he glared at the thing.

Jumping off, he wandered across the field to where he still heard the swearing. Whoever it was that had broken down must have been hurt, or in a lot of trouble to be swearing like that. Antonio frowned and hurried over to see who it was. Hopping the fence, he stood for a moment as he looked over this time's stranded traveler. He looked a little younger than Antonio himself; maybe twenty-three to Antonio's twenty-five. He had brown hair, was wearing expensive looking clothing and a really nice looking watch. Antonio had the feeling that that one watch would probably be worth more than his tractor. Then again, seeing as how his tractor was a piece of junk that wasn't saying much. It wasn't until he saw the tell-tale hair curl that Antonio realized who this must be; the hair curls were the very famous trademark of all Vargas line products, like the Nike checkmark or any other easily recognizable trademark. It was a member of the Vargas family that had landed at his field.

"Hello!" Antonio greeted cheerfully. Whoever it was flinched at the sudden sound of his voice and turned around quickly, glaring accusingly at him. Antonio tilted his head, smile on his face. Did he accidentally startle him? That wasn't what he had intended. "Can I help you out with your car? See, I own the field here-"

"You act like I care, bastard," the man said, turning away huffily. Antonio's smile slipped a little, but didn't disappear all the way. He wasn't the first person to get upset with him when Antonio offered his help. The man kicked the side of his car, swearing under his breath. Sighing, he turned back to Antonio. "Can you fix this?" he asked, sounding like he wasn't expecting anything from him. Antonio felt like he was being challenged.

Smiling, he said that he would give it his best shot. Walking over to the car, he lifted up the hood and whistled lowly. This was a _really_ nice car. He didn't even want to think about how much money it would cost to buy this kind of car. It was really fancy, but he could still see what was wrong with it. The carbonator was shot, and it looked like a hunk of metal somehow managed to get stuck and knock a few things around. Antonio scratched his head, wondering where he was going to start first.

"Can you fix it?" the man asked again. Antonio looked back up with a grin in place.

"I think so. I'll have to get a few parts, first…" his sentence trailed off as he looked over at his tractor. There probably wouldn't really be anything he could use from the tractor that would help fix the car… But maybe there was something he could do. Walking away from the car and over to his tractor, Antonio didn't notice the man following along behind him until he heard his voice.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding more curious than anything. Antonio smiled again.

"Well, my tractor quit working on me again so I figured that I might as well make some use out of it."

The man frowned. He seemed to do that a lot, Antonio noticed. "Will it even work?"

Antonio shrugged. "Don't know until we try, now do we?" he said with another smile. Surprisingly, the man's cheeks turned an interesting shade of red. Antonio stopped just in front of his tractor, concerned.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, reaching out to feel his forehead. "You look red, is the sun getting to you?" The redness of the other man's cheeks seemed to increase, confusing Antonio even more. Did heat stroke work that fast? He was surprised when the other man slapped his hand away, glaring.

"St-stupid!" he said, looking away from Antonio. "Just fix my car already, I'm running late." Antonio shrugged again. He just didn't understand people sometimes. As he was looking over the different parts of his tractor, trying to figure out which one's he would need to try and fix the car he struck up conversation.

"So, what's your name?" he asked, taking a wrench out of his toolbox that was sitting on the tractor. "I'm Antonio."

"Humph," the man replied. Antonio had the feeling he was still not looking at him. "Lovino. Vargas."

"Nice to meet you, Lovino!" Antonio said cheerfully as he started removing various parts. Some he set aside in his pockets for the car, others he set on the ground on a piece of dirty old cloth so that the parts wouldn't get dirt on them. "Well, these circumstances aren't the best, but it's still nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, whatever," Lovino said huffily. Antonio just couldn't believe that he was helping _the_ Lovino Vargas out with his car. Oh, just wait until he tells Francis! Francis liked fashion and followed it almost religiously. Gilbert wouldn't care, though, since his wardrobe was rather limited. Though, the only thing he didn't keep up with was growing a beard. In his words, he just didn't look awesome enough with it on.

Straightening up, Antonio gestured for Lovino to follow him back to the car. Looking under the hood again, Antonio started messing around with a few things. "So, what brings you over to this neck of the woods?"

Lovino paused for a moment, most likely staring at Antonio. He wondered if maybe he had said something he shouldn't have. "…I'm just passing through. I have to meet my stupid little brother and my grandfather over in the next city for lunch, so if you could hurry it up…" Antonio chuckled.

"I'll do what I can!"

Ten minutes later and Antonio was stumped. Okay, so maybe he couldn't fix the car here. He just didn't have the parts for it. Looking up guiltily at Lovino, who had gone back into the car with the door open and was currently staring off into space, he cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Um…" he said, scratching the back of his neck, unknowingly getting grease there. "I have some bad news."

Lovino sat up quickly, looking at him sharply. "You can't fix it?"

"I can fix it," Antonio hedged. "It's just that I don't have the parts to fix it with me." Lovino groaned.

"What am I supposed to do now, bastard?"

Antonio thought it over. "Well, you could come back with me to my house-" he paused when he saw the look he was getting from Lovino "-to use my phone!" he clarified quickly. "I don't think your cell phone works out here, otherwise you would have used it already." Lovino glared at something in his hand, presumably his cell phone.

"Do you just not get any signal at all out here?" he asked accusingly, almost like it was Antonio's own personal fault that not only his car but his phone didn't work. Antonio shook his head.

"No, sometimes phones work out here," he replied. "It's just that you probably don't have the right coverage; it's kind of finicky, you see."

"Whatever," Lovino muttered. Sighing, he stood up and faced Antonio.

"So how far is it to your house, dammit?" Antonio smiled. Pointing to the other side of the field, where a stand of trees separated Antonio's house and yard from the main field, he told him it was just on the other side of the trees. Leading him across the field, Lovino picked up his own thread of conversation.

"So how come you don't have a cell phone?" he asked sullenly. "I thought everyone had one."

Antonio smiled, thinking of his friend Gilbert. "Oh no, there are still people who don't. I do, though. I just leave it at home whenever I'm working in the fields since the only ones who call me are my friends, and I can't really hear it over the sound of the machines, anyway."

Lovino made a non-committal noise. "So, what, do you run this farm all by yourself?" he asked, gesturing to the barn and the cows in the pasture behind the house. He froze up when he saw that one of Antonio's bulls had gotten out of the field again. He hid behind Antonio.

Antonio sighed in exasperation. Lovino looked up at him with incredulity. "That's one of my bulls, _el toro_. He likes to get out and wander about, but he's pretty much harmless; he's blind now."

"You named him 'the bull'?" Lovino asked in disbelief. He still kept himself behind Antonio, despite his assurances that _el toro_ was, in fact, harmless. "And what do you mean, 'pretty much'? Does that mean he isn't all the way harmless? And shouldn't he be _more_ dangerous if he's blind?"

Antonio laughed at Lovino's worries, which he didn't seem to appreciate. _El toro_ heard his laughter and started heading their way slowly. Lovino started whimpering when he saw. "It's fine, Lovino. He's gentler now that he's blind because he depends on me fully now. He can't see anything, so he has to go by hearing; that's why he's coming over. As long as you're with me, he won't hurt you. I promise."

Lovino still looked unsure, but he followed Antonio carefully as he slowly approached the bull and started talking softly to him in Spanish. Antonio took hold of one of the bull's horns and led him back to the barn slowly, letting him know that there was nothing wrong. Antonio glanced back behind him. He thought it was so cute the way Lovino clung to him like that. After putting _el toro_ away, Antonio led them to his house.

"There's the phone, Lovino," he said as he pointed to the wall mounted phone in the kitchen. It looked like Lovino was glancing over the place before he was brought out of his thoughts by Antonio's suggestion. Lovino frowned again, seemingly a default expression. Antonio thought it was cute. "I'm going to wash this grease off me, so you can have privacy when you call a tow truck," he said, heading for his bathroom. "Or for someone to come and get you, but I would recommend a tow truck; you don't want anyone coming along and stealing your car."

Lovino harrumphed. Antonio set to work washing the grease off his hands and arms. He had a special liquid that he used to make sure the grease didn't set in or get on any of the counters. Using that, along with an old rag, he managed to get the worst off. With the exception of Lovino coming and asking him what the address was, he didn't see or hear anything from his guest. Antonio smiled. Francis would be so jealous. Gilbert would just look at them like they were crazy; he didn't need crazy in his life. That's what his girlfriend Elizabeta was for.

When Antonio was finished, he went back into the kitchen where Lovino was currently seated at his table, looking at the plastic table cloth like it was trash. Well, Antonio had to concede, to someone like Lovino it probably was.

"How long until your ride gets here?" Antonio asked conversationally. Lovino glanced at him, looking haughty again for some reason.

"About five minutes or so."

Antonio smiled. "Well that's good!" He took a seat at the table too, not sure what else to do. He had a famous fashion designer in his house. He was pretty sure his mama would have yelled at him if he didn't start being more hospitable. Frowning, Antonio looked around, not sure what he could do to be more welcoming (even if Lovino would be leaving soon). His gaze fell on a basket of fresh-picked vegetables on his counter. Antonio smiled again.

"Hey Lovino," he asked. Lovino looked at him again, questioningly. "Have you ever had farm-fresh tomatoes before?" Lovino frowned.

"Of course I have, bastard," he said, looking away. "I get them from the store all the time." Antonio shook his head.

"Those aren't farm-fresh, those are store bought."

Lovino's cheeks turned red again. "They say they're farm-fresh…"

Antonio smiled. "Well, how about you actually have one that's from straight out of my garden?" he proposed, standing up and selecting a tomato from the basket. He walked over to the sink and rinsed it, getting the dirt off it. "Here, have this one; I just picked it earlier today!"

Lovino looked between Antonio and the tomato, looking doubtful of how good it actually was. He took the tomato anyway, probably to try and not seem like a total jackass. He took a bite and his eyes grew, looking about the size of dinner plates.

"This…this is actually really good, bastard," he said disbelievingly. Antonio didn't know if he should feel insulted or complemented.

"You know, my name's Antonio. Not bastard."

Lovino looked up at him again, taking another bite out of the tomato. "Yeah, whatever you say. Bastard." Before Antonio could say anything else he was interrupted by the sound of a car horn outside. Lovino stood up.

"That would be my ride," he said. "Thanks for trying, I guess."

"Wait!" Antonio exclaimed, shocking Lovino. Antonio hurriedly gathered up his basket that was full of fresh tomatoes. "Here, take this; you never know when you'll be able to have farm-fresh tomatoes again." Lovino blushed again but took them, saying a hurried 'thanks' and escaping to outside where there was in fact a nice looking sports car pulled up in Antonio's gravel driveway. Lovino barely looked back again before the car took off.

That was the last that Antonio expected to see of Lovino. Now, all he needed to do was figure out how he was going to get his tractor back from the fields…

* * *

><p>The next time that Antonio saw Lovino was unexpected.<p>

He had just been visiting with Gilbert and Francis beforehand. A whole week had passed since the incident. Antonio had managed to get his friends to help him tow his tractor out of the field by the road, but now he had ruts running through the middle. Francis hadn't believed him at first when Antonio told him about how he met the famous fashion designer and had even invited him into his house. But after Antonio kept insisting, Francis finally believed him; or at least, he said that he believed him.

Antonio was busy thinking about his visit with his friends as he turned up on his driveway. He had agreed with Gilbert that he would borrow some of his friend's equipment later, in exchange for letting his friend come over any time he wanted for some free booze. Honestly, Gilbert was pretty much a fail Amish man, but he stayed one nonetheless. Antonio was thinking about Gilbert's familial ties and relationship with his family when the Spaniard caught sight of something interesting.

There, in the driveway parked in front of his house was a fancy Italian sports car, different from the one that he had seen by the side of the road the week before. This would have been curious enough if it weren't for the very well-dressed man that was sitting on Antonio's porch. As soon as the other man saw Antonio pull up he shot up from the comfortable seats on the porch, looking for all the world like he had never been sitting in wait the entire time. As Antonio parked the truck, he noticed that his visitor was none other than Lovino Vargas again. This was a surprise. Antonio blinked, getting out of his truck slowly, giving himself time to think. Why would Lovino come back? Antonio wasn't complaining, but he couldn't think of a reason why. It wasn't like he had left anything the last time. If it was about the basket that held the tomatoes he had given Lovino, the Italian could have just left the basket on the porch.

Antonio put a smile on, not caring either way. Lovino had been interesting, so it was just as well that he had come back. Lifting a hand up in a casual wave, Antonio cheerfully greeted his guest. Lovino frowned at him.

"Took you long enough to get back, bastard," he said huffily, looking away. His cheeks were stained red, Antonio noted with amusement. The other man always seemed to get like that, at least around Antonio. He couldn't say for sure if he was like that all the time, though; he barely even knew the other man. "I was about to just write you off and leave."

"But you didn't," Antonio pointed out. "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously. Lovino spluttered, looking angry. Antonio wondered what he did to make the other man so upset.

"Y-you bastard!" Lovino exclaimed. Antonio blinked, curious smile still in place. He had heard much worse from his friends, so the insults didn't bother him. Instead, he waited patiently for Lovino to get to the point. Eventually, Lovino grew quiet after insulting him some more. Huffing, he said "I…I wanted to th… to tha…" He paused, looking like he was having a hard time getting the words out. "…to _thank_ you for helping out last week," he said, looking up into Antonio's eyes. "Even if you didn't really end up doing anything."

Antonio laughed, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I tried my best, though!" Lovino stared at him a moment, digging something out of his pocket.

"Yeah, well…" Lovino started, sounding like he wasn't sure what to say. "You did let me use your phone. And gave me tomatoes." He pulled what looked like a small, rectangular piece of paper from his pocket. Antonio realized it was a check. "Here's this; you know, for at least being able to do that much."

Antonio frowned as he looked at the check, still in Lovino's hand. Shaking his head, he pushed the check back into Lovino's hands. "I didn't help out for money," he said. "I did it because I wanted to."

Lovino frowned again, staring at Antonio like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Don't be an idiot; I owe you, and it's not like I don't have the money to pay you. Are you saying you're so well off that you won't take it?" He raised an eyebrow, looking around at Antonio's farm around him with an air of disdain. Antonio frowned some more, not liking what he was implying about his farm.

"I'm saying, I don't accept charity," he said, not wanting to offend Lovino even after the other man insulted his home. "So this place may not be up to the same levels in standards like you're used to, I still like it. Everything here, I either bought it myself through hard work or it's been passed down through my family. I like earning my work, not getting handouts." Feeling that he might have been over stepping his boundaries, Antonio brought his smile back in place. "Again, thanks for your concern, but it really wasn't a big deal; you don't have to pay me for something I would have done anyways."

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say again. Lovino looked at him, insulted, and turned away. Marching back to his car, Lovino left without looking back. Antonio watched as the car sped off down the road, dirt billowing in the wind behind it. Antonio was about to go back into his house when he noticed something in his hand. Bringing it object up to eye level, he saw that it was the check that Lovino had tried to give him earlier.

* * *

><p>Antonio was starting to feel very confused. First, he finds an attractive (if he's honest with himself) man stuck by the side of the road and helps him out. Usually that's the end of things. But then Lovino came back. Admittedly, that had happened maybe once or twice before, usually from exceedingly kind and grateful people who had been helped out and wanted to thank him in some way or another. From what Antonio knew of Lovino, that really didn't seem like his kind of thing. Not only had he come back, he had even offered money as compensation. Antonio didn't know how much, because he never looked at the check. It didn't even really matter how much it was, whether maybe five dollars or five thousand (he kind of doubted this last one); he would still feel bad taking the money. He didn't feel like he had earned it.<p>

He had shown the check to his friends, wanting their opinion on what to do. Gilbert said that he should just take the money and be happy with it; after all, it's not like he was going to see the moody Italian again. Francis actually agreed on this point, though he also thought that Antonio shouldn't keep the money. He said that it made Antonio seem 'cheap', though what he meant by that Antonio didn't know.

All of that would have been fine, but then Lovino came back _again_.

And again. And again. And again. And again.

Each time the visits were short, but meaningful. They spent the few minutes they had together talking about different things. One time they talked about Antonio, such as what he usually had to do to keep the farm running, what his animals were like, and what his friends were like. Another time Antonio tried to get Lovino to talk about himself. All he really mentioned was that he had a younger brother who was still in school but had a promising career in front of him, maybe even better than Lovino himself, named Feliciano. Despite Lovino's negative way of talking about him, Antonio had a feeling that he actually cared very much for his brother. He also mentioned his grandfather, but only just enough to say that he had high hopes for his brother and was looking for him to take over the family (fashion) business someday.

Antonio never asked why Lovino seemed to like spending time with him. He was glad for the company while he fed the animals and fixed the fences. Lovino had once asked, probably completely serious, when he would be finished. Antonio had jokingly replied never, saying that the things that had to be done would never be finished because there would always be new problems coming up. Antonio had turned and looked at Lovino, noticing his red cheeks. He had asked why, but never received an answer because Lovino had said that he needed to get going then.

"Well, obviously he wanted to ask you out!"Francis declared when he and Gilbert were hanging out with Antonio at Antonio's house. They were out on the porch, escaping the hot weather of the summer in the afternoon. Francis had made a nice, cool drink for them which they were sipping on as they talked. Antonio was a little distracted, but mostly thinking about the last time Lovino had been on the porch with him. He had had a break in his schedule and had come to visit Antonio since he seemed like the type to not have any friends (or so Lovino said). Gilbert was sitting in the very seat that Lovino had occupied then…

Antonio shook his head. "Excuse me?" he asked with a smile on his face, not sure if he had heard right. Maybe he should stop drifting off in thought when he was talking with his friends. Francis sighed, gesturing for Gilbert to repeat what was just said. Francis was dramatic like that sometimes.

"He _said_," Gilbert replied, rolling his eyes, "that the guy who's been visiting you wants to get in your pants." Francis spluttered into his drink, protesting that that's not what he had said. Though, he also didn't deny it. Antonio grew more confused.

"But…I don't think he'd fit in them, would he?" he asked his friends, tilting his head cutely. "They would be too long, and I'm bigger, too." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though, I suppose he could always roll the pants legs up, and maybe get a belt…"

"That's not what I mean, buddy," Gilbert said, shaking his head.

"I suppose that makes sense," Antonio agreed, nodding his head. "After all, he's a famous fashion designer, he could probably either go out and buy the same pair in his size or make it himself if he really wanted to."

Gilbert stared at him blankly before turning to Francis who was laughing at his friend. "That's it, you explain it to him. I don't think I can."

"No, you were doing beautifully," Francis disagreed, purring slightly. Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "It's just Antonio, you see." Turning to Antonio he looked at him intently. Antonio knew that he should pay attention to what was going to be said next or he would never get it. "We are saying, Antonio, that this young man likes you so he wants to ask you out on a date."

Antonio stared for a while. Then he blinked a few times and started laughing. "There's no way, Francis!" he said cheerfully, though not oblivious to his heart beating a little faster than usual. "Lovino doesn't like me that way; I'm sure there's another explanation."

Francis raised an eyebrow, sitting up in his seat. Oh great, Francis felt challenged now. "Do you want to test that theory, Antonio?"

"Not really," Antonio lied. He could tell by the excitement he felt at just the suggestion. Gilbert snorted into his iced tea, checking the time by the angle of the sun in the sky.

"I have to get back before Lizzy start's complaining again," he said as he stood up, stretching his limbs as he did so. "Tell me how it ends, okay?"

"Will do," Francis agreed, still staring at Antonio. Antonio watched as Gilbert left, walking across his fields to get to the road that led over to his family's community. When he was out of sight, Antonio had no choice but to look at Francis again. He wasn't protesting, since he was rather curious about how his friend could figure out if Lovino liked him. "Ready to pay attention?" Antonio nodded, grinning at his friend. Francis grinned too, but still managed to look a little serious as he did so. "Good. What you should do is when he comes over again, if he doesn't ask you out again _you_ should ask _him_ out."

Antonio frowned. "But, won't that be a little weird?" He didn't want to seem weird or anything. He was starting to like Lovino's visits, since they broke up the monotony that he didn't even knew existed before. Francis waved his concerns away.

"Nonsense," he said, taking a delicate sip of his tea. It didn't matter what Francis did, he always did it with style and grace. "If it really bothers you that much, then just start small and stop referring to him so formally."

Antonio was confused again. "What do you mean?"

Francis sighed again. "You're always referring to him as 'Lovino', aren't you?" Antonio nodded his head yes, not sure where his friend was going with this. "Well, don't you call Gilbert 'Gil' and me 'Franny' sometimes?" Antonio had a dawning sense of understanding, but his friend was on a role. "Don't you think you should call him something similar?"

"Like… Lovi?" Antonio asked, but he didn't need to. The name felt right, and it made Antonio smile to say it. Francis smiled back.

"Trust me, if you start off on friendly ground like that, then he'll want to get to know you better. I'm a master of Romance, remember?" Francis smirked, finishing off the rest of his tea.

* * *

><p>The next time Lovino came around, Antonio tried out the nickname. There were mixed results; Antonio loved it, Lovino seemed to hate it. Seemed, because Lovino never stopped Antonio from using the nickname, though he grumbled every now and then.<p>

Lovino was hanging out with Antonio again on the weekend one day when he mentioned casually about how there was a new movie playing in town and how he didn't have anyone to see it with. When Antonio asked about his brother or grandfather Lovino snorted, saying that he didn't really share his family's tastes. Antonio was about to suggest that maybe Lovino—Lovi—should go with friends when he realized that this was his opportunity. As sneakily as he could (which maybe wasn't that sneaky at all), he suggested instead that the two of them go together. Lovino looked almost happy at the idea.

* * *

><p>Antonio was getting ready the next weekend for his first 'date' with Lovino. He wasn't even sure if it could be called that. He hoped it was. Antonio liked Lovino; he wasn't sure if it was love or not, though he doubted it. Could he really love someone after knowing them for only a short amount of time? Antonio didn't know. For now, though, he just enjoyed Lovino's company. Antonio had just pulled a clean shirt on when he heard a knock on his front door. Antonio looked towards the general direction of his front door curiously. It couldn't be Lovi, could it? They had agreed to meet in front of the theatre in about half an hour. So who could it be? Antonio brightened up. Maybe it was Gilbert or Francis (he had a feeling it would be Francis; Gilbert didn't really care about these kinds of things) who wanted to wish him good luck on his first whatever-this-was that he had with Lovino!<p>

Walking with pep in his step towards the door, Antonio was surprised to see that it was someone else at his doorstep. Porch. Whatever it was. Curious smile in place, Antonio greeted his guest.

What he didn't expect was for as soon as he opened the door a blur to come out of nowhere and attach itself to his chest. Stumbling back, Antonio managed to catch himself before he and whatever was on his chest could fall to the ground. Looking down, Antonio was surprised to see a hair curl attached to the head of the person hugging him. It wasn't Lovino, though, since the hair curl was on the wrong side of the head. That was when he noticed a strange 've-ing' coming from the person.

"Um…can I help you?" he asked, feeling a little awkward. He had a feeling this person was related to Lovino, but he couldn't think of how right now. The auburn-headed person looked up at Antonio, bright, cheery smile on his face.

"Ve, hi Antonio!" the man said. Antonio wondered if he had ever met this man before since the man knew his name. But then he noticed the similarities between this man and Lovino.

"You're…Lovi's brother, right?" he asked, smile growing on his face. He had wanted to meet Lovino's family after hearing a few things from him about them. Who knew it would be now? Lovino's brother—Feliciano, he remembered—smiled again, pleased that Antonio recognized him.

"Lovi's mentioned me before?" Feliciano asked in his high-pitched voice. "Big Brother's mentioned you too, a whole lot! You're all he ever really talks about anymore. I wanted to see what you were like."

Antonio blinked, surprised. Did Lovino really talk about him that much? "What sort of things has he been saying about me?" he asked curiously. He led Feliciano over to some of the porch chairs where they sat to have a more comfortable chat. Feliciano smiled warmly.

"Only good things, really," he assured Antonio. Antonio didn't look very convinced, considering the amount of times Lovino actually used his name instead of bastard. Which was none. Feliciano shook his head, smile still on his face. "Ve, no, really; in Lovi-speak, that is." That explained it. But Antonio was still curious.

"You said that you wanted to see what I was like," Antonio said. "What did you mean by that?" Feliciano smiled secretly, winking at him.

"I wanted to know what kind of person the man who stole my brother's heart was like," he explained. Antonio felt like his brain had frozen. Stolen? Lovino's heart? _Antonio_ had? Feliciano noticed his confusion. He nodded comfortingly.

"You're all he talks about these days. When he first met you that one day, he would keep cursing your name" Antonio felt himself sweat drop here "but I could also tell that he was curious. I think he really liked that you tried your best to help him; nobody's really done that for him before."

Antonio frowned. "No one? Really? I can't see why." Feliciano giggled.

"That's just Lovi's personality," he explained. "Ve, he doesn't like others to do things for him usually. But when Grandpa heard about what you did for Lovi, he said that Lovi should thank you somehow, since it's only polite."

Antonio realized something. "Oh, so that's why he was so insistent on giving me that check," he said. "I still have that somewhere," he added distractedly, looking thoughtfully back inside the house.

"You…still have it?" Feliciano asked strangely. Antonio blinked, not getting anything.

"Um…yes?" he asked back. "Should I have already spent it by now? It just didn't seem right." Feliciano shook his head reassuringly.

"No, it's alright," he assured Antonio. "But that explains why Lovino came home looking mad. I think he felt a little challenged when you did that." He giggled again, patting Antonio on the knee. "I'm glad you don't get upset with him, though. You must be really patient." Antonio wasn't sure if that was right, since sometimes he felt so frustrated with the Italian man; once he had even taken out his frustrations on an old dead tree that was now chopped up into a nice, tidy wood pile for winter. According to Gilbert, who had come over to chat and check up on the equipment he lent him, Antonio had been chuckling maniacally as he did so. Feliciano saw the look he had on his face and laughed. "Well, patient enough. I think that's why Lovino likes you; because you act like he's worth all of the attention."

"He is," Antonio said frankly, staring at Feliciano with wide eyes. Feliciano was Lovino's brother; shouldn't he know this already? It was something that Antonio had always known since he met him. Lovino had a temper, and he had a dirty mouth. That didn't mean anything in Antonio's book and it certainly didn't define who Lovino was. Plenty of people that Antonio knew were like that, even Antonio himself. But what made Lovino special were the looks of complete insecurity that he would get whenever he thought Antonio wasn't looking, or if Antonio had said something to go against Lovino. He had seen that look the first time when Lovino had asked him when he would be finished with his chores. But there was also a pride that Lovino held himself with. Antonio saw it whenever he would talk about the different fashions that he was working on, or when Lovino would hint that he had a better decorating sense than Antonio.

Antonio sat back, smiling slowly. There were so many reasons why he liked Lovino, he wasn't sure he could count them all. Had it really taken this long to figure this out? He looked back over to Feliciano who was still waiting patiently. Antonio smiled at him.

"It was really great being able to talk and meet you, Feliciano," he said, standing up. Feliciano stood up as well, head tilted in confusion. "But I have to hurry now if I want to make my date with your brother." Feliciano smiled warmly, waving as Antonio sped off.

"Be sure to take good care of my big brother!" he called after Antonio. "If you don't, I'll never forgive you!"

Antonio barely paid attention as he hurried into his truck. Glancing at the clock on his dashboard, he saw that he had five minutes to get all the way across town and find a parking spot before he was late. He grinned, welcoming the challenge. When he did make it to the theatre, he was just right on time. Antonio smiled when he saw Lovino standing off to the side, looking around for him. He didn't miss it when Lovino's eyes lit up when he finally saw him.

"You're late, bastard."

"Sorry, I got sidetracked by a visitor. But you know, Lovi, I'm actually right on time~!"

"Humph. Let's just go inside already…Antonio."

"*heart*"

"Did you say something?"

"No, not really~"

* * *

><p>Antonio and Lovino were married three years later. Lovino handed over the design company over to his brother later that year, saying he wanted to spend more time with Antonio. To those that mattered and knew the couple well, that meant redecorating Antonio's entire house. Antonio couldn't bring himself to mind, just as long as everything was still practical ("And Spanish~!").<p>

Gilbert married his girlfriend of seven years Elizabeta Héderváry. Gilbert still had his crazy life, but he couldn't do much more than complain about it. When Elizabeta finally suggested that they stop being Amish and go to live in the city with his brother, Gilbert's bags were packed surprisingly quickly. After the move, he was never able to get in touch with his friends again.

Francis eventually apprenticed with the Vargas design company and also eventually took over the company. This wasn't as bad as it seemed, since he and the former boss, Feliciano, were very close. There were several rumors of a secret relationship, but nothing ever became public. All that anyone could ever get out of the two were secret smiles that they swore meant nothing.

Antonio and Lovino were very happy with their life together. They would tell anyone who asked (Antonio did, at least) that they were very blessed.

Somewhere off in a distant mountain, an unearthly laugh could be heard.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Six; Next Up—Whatcha' going to do when they come for you? (Cops theme song, if you didn't know).<em>


	7. Life 7 The Cop and The Bride

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 7; The Cop and The Bride  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Cop!Antonio x Suspect!Fem!Lovino. After the death of Lovina's husband, she is forced to encounter and relive the memories of the one person who came before him—Antonio.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language, character death, etc. Something different this time, eh?  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, character death, *a* gender-bent character, my bad writing style, some angst, etc. Also, I feel like I end these things too abruptly…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovina (Fem!Romano), Antonio, Alfred, Francis, Gilbert, Matthias, Yao, Kiku (Japan), mentions of Feliciano, Ludwig, Arthur, Toris, Vash, Lars (Netherlands), Mei (Taiwan).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovina, past Kiku/Lovina, mentions of one-sided Mei/Kiku  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,149.  
><em>_Notes__: As I said in the warning, I feel like I'm ending these things too quickly; I don't know, what do you think? Also, yes; character death. Also, genderbends. This won't be the last chapter to have genderbends, but they're spaced evenly through the course of their one hundred lives. It won't just be Romano/Lovino who will get genderbent either; how fair would that be to Spain/Antonio? XD Another note, this idea was vaguely suggested by my sister, and was also vaguely inspired by a story-arc of Detective Conan (I don't own). I would be very curious if anyone could guess which one it was, though._

* * *

><p>Lovina counted the number of tiles that lined the room she was in. Sure, she had been in the room long enough to count through every single tile on the wall, but for her sake she chose to focus only on the colored ones that made a band around the room, separating the top half of the walls from the bottom half. She was currently in a concrete room with a single ceiling fan hanging from the ceiling, an uncomfortable chair that she was sitting in, an oak table that was sitting in front of her with another chair on the other side and a large mirror facing her. She knew, of course, that it went two ways.<p>

She sighed, staring into her lap again. She had been there for an hour now and still nobody had come to talk with her yet. She would have thought that they had forgotten her by now if she hadn't known that they were staring at her through the mirror, waiting and watching for any show of weakness. She wondered idly who it was on the other side of the mirror. Francis and Gilbert definitely, considering the circumstances. Alfred may be there too, since he has his sense of justice that never fails. If Alfred was there, then his partner on the force Toris would probably be there too. He would be sympathetic; he always was whenever it was a woman or young child on the other side of the glass. Lovina doubted that Vash would be there; he really didn't care about things like this except to solve the case.

Lovina was accused of killing her husband.

She didn't really, of course. But her general lack of emotion in this case wasn't giving her any sympathy points. Especially since Antonio was on the case.

Lovina started tapping her fingers on the table. She knew this game; she knew it well. They were leaving her in here until she finally cracked, or until they thought they could catch her off guard enough to get the answers they wanted and expected. Such answers in this case would be a confession to her part in the murder.

The door slammed open, startling Lovina out of her thoughts. She turned her glare at the person who entered, slightly surprised to see that it was Matthias who came in. She shouldn't have been that surprised, especially since he was Antonio's partner now.

"Hello, Lovina," he said cheerfully, sitting down in the seat opposite her. "How've you been lately? You know, other than your husband coming up dead and all."

Lovina narrowed her eyes. She sat up straight, holding her chin up. She may have been the prime suspect, but that didn't mean that she would stand to be treated that way. She was Lovina Honda, formerly Lovina Vargas. She would not stand for this.

"I've been fine," she said in a clipped tone. "Just bored out of my mind. How long will this take? I have to make preparations for my husband's funeral."

Matthias nodded his head like he was going along with what she was saying. "Right, right. Well, there's just one problem with that."

"You think I killed him."

"Did you?" Matthias asked, staring squarely at her. "That's one theory. We have a pretty good case against you at any rate."

"Let me guess," Lovina drawled, feeling more and more fed up with this whole charade. "You have my prints on the murder weapon and all around the crime scene; news flash, I _live _there! I use those knives all the time in my cooking, so of course my prints are on them. I have the means and opportunity, since as I just pointed out _I live there_. It is a pretty good case. The only thing missing is motive, which you don't have." Lovina couldn't feel too happy with herself. It was only a matter of time before they came up with something else. Judging by the unsurprised look on Matthias' face, they already had.

"Several witnesses have reported that you and your husband have had some…difficulties in your married life," he said. Lovina tensed up, feeling her lip curl in disgust. "Care to elaborate?"

"What goes on in my married life is of no concern to you!" she snapped. Matthias raised an eyebrow, a smirk growing on his face. Shit.

"Actually, it is," he went on to say. "Especially since that's a prime reason for motive. Now, care to explain?" Lovina looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"We had some…issues that we were working through," Lovina said. She felt saddened as she thought of Kiku…dear Kiku, who didn't deserve any of this. "What married couple doesn't fight?"

"Especially with you as a wife," Matthias quipped. Lovina's eyes blazed and she just barely held in a slap. He was baiting her. He was waiting for any excuse he could get to arrest her and keep her locked up until they built up their case. If she had hit him, he could have pressed charges for assaulting a police officer. Lovina took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down and not rise to his challenge. Matthias looked at her blankly for a moment before looking down at his notes.

"When was the last time you saw your husband?"

Lovina took another breath, knowing how incriminating her answer would be. "…The night before last."

Matthias raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the night of the murder?"

"Yes," she answered shortly. She looked away, staring at the wall again. She wondered how the others on the other side of the glass were taking this interrogation. Were they laughing at her? Were they celebrating how close they were to being able to prosecute her? Lovina had no fans in the police department. Not since Antonio…

Antonio…

"…where's Antonio?" she asked quietly. Matthias raised an eyebrow again.

"Why should I tell you?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'm the one asking you the questions. Why do you want to know anyway?" he asked despite himself.

Lovina glanced at him then looked away. "…no reason."

Matthias swore. "You're one cold bitch, you know that? Have you even cried yet since your husband died? What did that poor bastard do to deserve a cold wife like you?"

Lovina gulped, feeling like she had been slapped. Matthias noticed her reaction.

"I take it that wasn't the first time someone said that to you?" he asked, grinning again. He hated her. Antonio was his partner, and after what she and Antonio went through of course he hated her. "Who else told you that? Your husband?"

The door to the interrogation room slammed open all of a sudden, cutting off anything Lovina would have said. Standing at the door with a cool look on his face was Antonio. From his body language and the way he entered the room, he acted as if he hadn't heard anything that had been said already. But Lovina knew. He had heard everything. Hell, he had probably even been listening in to everything though the other side of the glass. Lovina looked away again. This was going to be awkward.

"Hey, I could have handled this myself you know," Matthias was saying to Antonio as he sat down in a spare chair that had been folded up against the far wall previously. Antonio said nothing as he shuffled through his notes.

"This is all well and good," Lovina said as she rose, _really_ wanting to get out of the suffocating room already. "But I really do need to get going. If there's anything else-"

"What did you and your husband talk about before his death?" Antonio asked suddenly, looking straight into Lovina's eyes. She stopped where she was, right behind her chair. She blinked owlishly at him.

"Huh?" she asked, kicking herself mentally for sounding so stupid. Why did he have to have this kind of effect on her, even after all these years? No, especially after all these years. It had been so long since they were last anything together, and now they meet again under these circumstances; it all just seemed too much all of a sudden. She wanted out of the room.

"You said that you last saw Kiku Honda the night of his murder," Antonio clarified, not looking away. His gaze was still as intense as ever. "What did you talk about?"

Lovina remembered that particular conversation, she remembered it well. It was the conversation that changed everything; or at least, it would have if Kiku had lived. Instead, he had been murdered late in the evening. It was such a personal conversation, private, just for the two of them to know. She took a deep breath and managed to meet Antonio's gaze, hers just as steady as his.

"I'm sorry, but that's a private matter," she said as she walked to the door. "If you have to know, then just know that it doesn't have anything to do with your case."

"I think we'll be the judges of that," Matthias protested.

Lovina glanced at them, opening the door. "I have preparations to make. Kiku's funeral is to be held tomorrow and I haven't even had the time to call the…the funeral home yet. Instead of focusing on me, detectives, I suggest that you find who it was that killed my husband." With that, she left.

* * *

><p>Kiku's funeral was a strangely quiet affair. Strange, because the people who came were usually always making noise. It was just as well, Lovina decided. Kiku would have wanted it quiet; that was just the kind of person he was.<p>

The turnout was more than Lovina expected. Her husband was well loved, after all. His entire family came, both immediate and extended. Lovina's brother came as well. Feliciano and Kiku were good friends, after all. With Feliciano was Ludwig to complete the trio of friends that had unfortunately been reduced to a duo now. Lovina couldn't even begrudge Ludwig's participation in the funeral. He was hurting just as much as everyone else was, just as much as she was.

Maybe even more.

Lovina looked down at her lap. She should be crying right now. She heard the rumors; she heard how they called her cold as ice, unfeeling, and other cruel things. They knew that she was expected to cry right now. But a part of her didn't want to give them the satisfaction. Another part only felt guilt.

An arm wrapped around her shoulders comfortingly. Lovina looked up and saw Yao glaring at the people who had been saying rude things about her. That only made Lovina feel even guiltier. Yao had been so supportive of her and Kiku even though he hadn't really agreed with the marriage. He had always been protective of Kiku, so it wasn't that hard to believe that he didn't think she was good enough for his brother. But that had changed when he saw how in love the two had been. Those were the days when everything had been better.

But then Antonio had come back into the picture. He had had to go away three years before on some other assignment. Lovina had been dating him, and pretty seriously at that. The new assignment started causing a rift until Lovina had eventually just broken up with him. She didn't want to move away, and she didn't see why he had had to go in the first place. There were other people that could have taken his position. But it was what Antonio wanted, what he had always wanted. While Antonio was gone, Feliciano had introduced his sister to one of his best friends, Kiku Honda. True, they had already met and had already known each other before then but that was when they had first started seeing each other as more than just a friend or relative of Feliciano. They had started dating, casually at first, until Kiku had come out of nowhere and surprised her with an engagement ring. Getting married was something Lovina had always wanted to do; she said yes immediately.

Two years after their marriage had started, Antonio managed to get himself reassigned back to the city they lived in and had come back. As much as she tried to deny it, old feelings started coming back to Lovina. It grew even harder when Kiku became good friends with Alfred, Arthur, Gilbert and Lars, all of who were on the police force.

Lovina looked around the room once again. Everyone was here. The preacher called order to the assembly, starting the ceremony. Lovina wondered what there was to celebrate.

The ceremony went by in a blur. She finally started crying near the end of it. The emotion had just hit her all of a sudden after piling up over the past few days. Yao pulled her against him in a friendly hug, wanting to comfort his favorite brother's wife. He eventually stood up, leading her down the aisle as the coffin carrying her husband's body went by. They trailed after it slowly into the bleak, overcast weather. Lovina barely paid attention to the congregation following along behind her, or when her brother came over and wrapped an arm around her waist for comfort. All she had eyes for was the coffin in front of her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Lovina-san, I was just looking for you."<em>

"_Kiku? What is it?"_

"_I wanted to ask you something, if it's not too rude of me to do so."_

"_Kiku, what have I told you? Compared to me, you're going to have to do something really bad to make me think you of all people are rude."_

"_Very well then. I shall ask you."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Are you still in love with Antonio?"_

"…"

"_Lovina-san?"_

"_W-what would make you think th-that, Kiku?"_

"_You do not have to be ashamed, Lovina-san. I have known for a while."_

"_O-oh. I'm so sorry…"_

"_Do not be sorry. I think it is for the best."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_When I realized that you still have feelings for Antonio, I realized that I was not upset. In fact, I felt ashamed that I was coming in between the two of you."_

"_Oh, Kiku, you don't have to feel that way-"_

"_It is alright. I, too, do not think there is any love between us any more, if there ever had been to begin with. I think it was only respect and loneliness, along with my brother's pushiness to get married that led to us as we are now."_

"_I…guess that's one way of looking at it."_

"_Please do not look so sad, Lovina-san. This is happy news, is it not? I was thinking that we should go into town tomorrow to file for divorce. Does that sound fair?"_

"_Yes…yes it does. But…Kiku?"_

"_Yes Lovina-san?"_

"_I really am sorry."_

"_Don't be. This is for the best of everyone involved, I think."_

* * *

><p>Lovina woke up. She had had the dream again. It was two days after the funeral, six days after Kiku had been murdered. She had trouble getting to sleep, and even more trouble actually staying asleep. Every time she closed her eyes she remembered the conversation—the <em>last<em> conversation—that she had had with Kiku. His murderer was still out there, and she still didn't know what to do. Groaning, Lovina sat up in bed and turned on the light. The clock on her night stand said that it was approaching four in the morning. Lovina was impressed; she had actually managed five hours this time. Standing up, she put a thin bath robe and slippers on and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Something Kiku had managed to get her hooked on was tea and she had a feeling that she would need it to stay awake today.

Today was the day that she was supposed to go back to the police station and give her statement again. This time, they had managed to find a court order to make her be there and answer their questions. Yao had offered to go with her and act as her lawyer, such was his profession, but she had said no. She was innocent and there was nothing they could charge her with. Plus, Lovina felt that she was ready to answer those questions now. She was walking over with a fresh pot of tea when she accidentally dropped her tea cup. Sighing, she bent over to pick up the shards and just missed the bullets that went straight through the kitchen window and were heading for where her head used to be.

* * *

><p>To say that she was shaken up was an understatement. It took several hours to calm her down. Lovina didn't even know how she managed to pick up the phone, dial emergency services and tell them about what had happened. She didn't even remember doing so, but the police assured her that she had. Alfred had even picked up the phone, and there was a recording of her by the operators that had connected her though.<p>

The first thing she realized was that she wasn't in her house anymore. Instead, she was in the police station where several people were hurrying about, yelling at each other, most likely trying to figure out who had shot at her. The next thing she realized was that Antonio was standing in front of her, looking concerned. Without another thought she thrust herself at him, hiding her face in his warm, comforting chest. His arms went around her and he started murmuring comforting things in her ear in Spanish. She had no idea what he was saying; he could have been saying 'my shoes are green' or 'your head is on fire' for all she cared at the moment. All that really mattered was that he was there with her, and in his arms Lovina had never felt safer.

When she had calmed down Antonio let go of her, offering a smile. "That was quite some night you had, eh _querida?_" Lovina didn't know if it was because her nerves had been fried and her emotions were out of control or if it was because she felt like she wasn't numb anymore, but all she could feel now was rage simmering and boiling up inside of her.

"'That was some night?'" she asked slowly, feeling her anger pour through her again. Antonio froze, seeing the look on her face. He knew what that look meant. "_That was some night?_" she shrieked in his face. "Do you have any idea what I've been through? Kiku _dies_, and then someone tries to kill me too? Do you think this is funny? Because I sure don't! Oh, but I bet it is for you, since my life's always been something of a joke to you hasn't it mister?" Around them, Lovina was vaguely aware of snickers and other people trying to hold back their laughter as Antonio tried to say something that would calm her down.

"Looks like she's back to normal now," Gilbert noted idly. Francis, next to him, nodded evenly.

"Maybe someone should tell Arthur to tell the doctor that she's out of shock now. Since, you know, Arthur is the 'only one capable of having a civilized conversation' with anyone after all."

Lovina huffed, feeling the anger leak out of her. Now that the adrenaline rush was gone, all she felt was exhausted. It wasn't a surprise, really, after what she had been through that week. Antonio caught her as she slumped, leading her over to a chair next to his desk.

"Um…feeling better?" he asked awkwardly. Lovina glared at him, but there wasn't much feeling in it.

"Who tried to kill me?" she asked tiredly. Antonio frowned at the reminder, hard look in his eyes.

"We don't know yet, but we think it was the same person who killed Kiku," he told her. Lovina managed a tired, wry smile.

"So does that mean I'm not a suspect anymore?"

"Well, it could be that you killed your husband and then faked your shooting, but it's unlikely," Matthias said with a smile, coming up behind Antonio with two mugs of coffee in hand. "Thought you might want this; I should warn you though, police coffee's not for the faint of heart!"

Antonio, smile fixed in place, grabbed the mugs and shooed his partner away. Lovina gratefully accepted the mug, letting the warm liquid heat her up from the inside. When she was a little clearer in the head, Lovina finally noticed that she was wearing only her pajamas, her thin bathrobe and her slippers. Scowling again, she drew the bathrobe over herself, though she knew the damage was done. Antonio smiled at her.

"I'm glad your okay, Lovina." She felt her cheeks heat up, something she hoped he would think was because she was still cold.

"…yeah. You too, I guess."

* * *

><p>Lovina's shooter was never found, though many suspected that it was Yao who was later convicted for killing his brother. He said that it was because he and Kiku had gotten into a fight over Kiku's divorce and things got carried away. It was found out later that Yao was actually covering for a family friend, Mei, who had had feelings for Kiku. Jealous that he was married to someone else, and to someone who never even loved him in the first place, Mei had come to visit in the middle of the night and attacked Kiku from behind. She didn't know that he was planning on divorcing Lovina until afterwards, when she tried to take Lovina's life as well. Yao went to prison for a year for lying to investigators while Mei was sentenced to twenty-five years of prison, with no chance of parole until after twenty years.<p>

It took a while, and much, much persuasion from Antonio, but Antonio and Lovina did start dating again. Five months after their first date, Antonio asked her to marry him. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake as before, Lovina said no. Antonio asked her again an hour later and she said yes, having the feeling that he would keep asking until she finally agreed. She was never happier.

They spent thirty years together and raised two children, a boy and a girl. They fought many times and were close to divorce once, but Antonio (and Lovina) knew just what to say and do to make the other forget and forgive. Lovina never forgot Kiku, and still visited his grave every year on his birthday. Antonio would come with her sometimes, though mostly it was just Lovina who went. Though she may not have been in love with him, she always did love him as a wonderful, devoted friend.

Lovina died at the age of sixty-seven from a heart attack. Antonio lived eight more years before he died as well, both leaving behind their two children and their five grand children.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Seven; Next Up—School's back in session!<em>


	8. Life 8 A Gentle School Life

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 8; A Gentle School Life  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Student!Antonio x Student!Lovino; Lovino waits after school for Antonio to pick him up.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language and the like.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, fluff (be prepared for cavities~), shortness, my bad writing style/skill, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, mention of Grandpa Romulus, vague mentions of Feliciano and Ludwig.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino  
><em>_Word Count__: 1,464.  
><em>_Notes__: I wanted something short and sweet. I'm surprised I could write it._

* * *

><p>Lovino waited in the classroom after school, waiting for the stupid tomato bastard to finally get there. Antonio always drove him home in the afternoons, but Lovino had to wait for Antonio's sports club activities to end first. That was just as well for him, since it gave him enough time to work though his homework so he wouldn't have to do it later. The afternoon sun shone through the classroom's windows, turning the classroom a mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. The shadows made by the setting sun grew larger but Lovino paid them no mind. He was just working through a math problem when a pair of hands went over his eyes. Lovino stiffened. Normally, someone would think that it was their boyfriend who had finally come to pick them up after practice and take them home, but Lovino knew better. At this point, there were three disturbing possibilities of who it could be.<p>

The first possibility was that it was his boyfriend after all, Antonio. The stupid bastard liked to play 'cutesy' stuff like that all the time. He also liked to touch Lovino whenever he could, like with the hand thing now or just holding hands. Sometimes he would randomly run his hand through Lovino's hair, or gently rub Lovino's cheek. You know, normal things like that. There was a good possibility that this was in fact Antonio.

However, there was also option number two—Francis, one of Antonio's best friends. This guy also liked to touch people, and Lovino was no exception. The only thing was, his touches weren't always as innocent as Antonio's were. Lovino was scared…no, _wary_ of Francis. He had been ever since they were little and Francis and Antonio would fight over him. They got _scary_ sometimes, especially to a little kid like Lovino! Even now, it seemed that they would sometimes fight over Lovino. He really didn't want it to be Francis.

Option three was the third member of the trio that Antonio and Francis were part of; Antonio's other best friend Gilbert. At first glance, considering the history that Lovino had with the other two, Gilbert didn't seem like that valid an option. But if you looked farther, and really _knew_ what kind of relationship Lovino had with Gilbert (namely that their little brothers were dating each other) you began to see why Gilbert was _also_ a fan of Lovino's. He also liked pulling tricks and pranks, and this was exactly the kind of thing that he would do to Lovino since he knew how the Italian felt about being surprised like this. Judging by the hissing chuckles coming from behind him, Lovino knew his guess was correct.

"What's a cute little Italian like you doing in a classroom after school studying like this?" his deep, teasing voice asked, disturbingly close to Lovino's ear. Lovino shuddered. "It's a good thing I came along, or someone might have mistaken you for a nerd." Gilbert let go of Lovino's eyes, looking very amused when Lovino whirled himself around so he could face the older teen better. Lovino didn't want Gilbert behind him, where he couldn't see him. Lovino scowled.

"Is fucking practice over already?" he asked. "I want to go home already."

Gilbert faked being hurt, but he couldn't quite pull it off all the way; his smirk was still in place. "Isn't my awesome presence good enough for you? No, wait, I get it!" he leaned closer, smirk stretching across his face. "You're just not ready for this awesome jelly, are ya kid?" …Lovino really didn't want to know how his mind worked. He also didn't want to know why his stupid boyfriend was friends with him, either. He gave up wondering that long ago.

"I'm just going to pretend that even makes sense, dammit," he said, putting his things away into his backpack. Behind him Gilbert shrugged.

"Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night kid." Gilbert liked to call him 'kid' for some reason. It didn't even make sense; at most, Gilbert was a year older than Lovino was. But then again, Gilbert was just weird like that. Speaking of which…

"Hey, other potato bastard," he began, looking at Gilbert funnily. Gilbert's eye twitched, but other than that he didn't let anything show that his words had upset him. "Where are your two stupid friends anyway? Aren't you three always together or something?"

Gilbert leaned back casually on a spare desk, looking Lovino over. "How should I know, I'm not their keepers or anything," he said casually. "It's not like we always have to be together, anyway. Antonio was talking with the coach or something and Francis said he'd stay to keep him company."

Lovino forced back the shudder at the thought of his boyfriend being 'kept company' by Francis. Instead, he asked "Are you sure you're not just ditching them?"

"See, even Lovino thinks so!" a voice said from the open doorway making Lovino freeze in his tracks. That was Francis. He swallowed hard. If he had to, he could jump behind Gilbert and demand that he protect him, dammit, at least until Antonio got there. This wasn't necessary, though, when Antonio's voice floated over the noise of Gilbert and Francis arguing with each other.

"Are you ready to go home now, Lovi?" Lovino rushed over to his boyfriend and gave him a quick hug. He grabbed Antonio's hand before the other could make a big deal out of his hug and dragged him away. He could hear Francis and Gilbert laughing about him, but he didn't care.

Antonio kept up with him, giving Lovino a loving smile when he looked back. Lovino's cheeks burned. He never got tired of seeing that the other loved him just as much as _he_ loved him. When they reached the parking lot and Antonio's old car, Antonio spun Lovino around, pulling him flush against him. Lovino was about to protest when he was silenced by a sweet kiss from the other. When he pulled away, Lovino's face felt like it was on fire, he was blushing so much. Antonio smiled at him.

"I missed you, Lovi," he said simply. Dazedly, in the back of his mind, Lovino wondered if he would always get that kind of reaction if the other missed him. He hoped so. Shaking his head to clear it of the stupor his was in, Lovino frowned, tugging on Antonio's hand.

"I want to go home now, dammit," he whined. "Grandpa Romulus is going to be pissed if I don't get back soon."

Antonio smiled again, opening the car door for him. "Then we better get you home. I'd hate it if I wasn't able to see you for a while." Lovino blushed in his seat, looking away as Antonio started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"…yeah. Me too, bastard…Antonio."

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Eight; Next up—We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!<em>


	9. Life 9 The Petting Zoo of love!

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 9; The Petting Zoo (of love!)  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Life 9; Petting zoo!Antonio x Lovino. Lovino works at a petting zoo and hopes that Antonio will someday look his way.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language, and because I can only apparently write T.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, sugary sweetness near the end, false leads, slight angst attack, my bad writing skills, what could be potentially love triangles, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Antonio, Gilbert, Felicia (Fem!), mentions of Roderich, Elizabeta, and Ludwig. Also, vague mention of Grandpa Romulus and OC's. Not too much, though.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Ludwig/Felicia, slight Antonio/Roderich, mention of Roderich/Elizabeta. And very, very slight OC/OC at the very, very, very end.  
><em>_Word Count__: 5,997.  
><em>_Notes__: I didn't expect this chapter to be so long; that's what she said. It's also how these things usually go for me. Also that's what she said. Or he. I'm not picky, or judgmental or anything._

* * *

><p>Lovino loved his job. Secretly, that is. If he had said out loud that he loved working at a petting zoo, nobody would have taken him seriously. He could just hear what others would say about him when they found out, <em>if<em> they ever found out—stupid, wimp, girly-man, weak, gay… Okay, so he really was gay. That didn't mean he was a fucking wimp, though! Hell no, he could take all those fuckers to the cleaners and back easy! He wouldn't even have to hide behind his sister's scary-ass boyfriend either. But Lovino digressed.

He loved his job for a few simple, but really good reasons. One was that his sister's boyfriend's brother ran the place so he was paid good money. Really, really good money. Another was that it was almost slightly fun to take his sister, Felicia, to work with him so she could coo over the cute baby animals. Hey, he was a good brother; he loved his sister, even if her taste in men sucked hard core. Lovino sometimes thought that he was the only one with a good taste in guys in their family. The third reason was that it was easy work. He just had to keep the pens clean and make sure the animals were well fed and watered and that no one picked on them. Lovino had a secret soft spot for these animals, maybe because he had worked with them for so long. Plus, they always seemed happy to see him so that could always put him into a somewhat good mood. The fact that some of these animals were the cutest things that Lovino had ever seen went without saying.

But the final reason why Lovino loved his job was because of his boss' friend, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.

Antonio was a twenty-five year old Spanish native who had moved over here when he was in his early teens and had never lost his beautiful (sexy) Spanish accent. He even lisped some of his words. It was one of the cutest things that Lovino had ever heard. It probably even beat those cute baby animals. But there was more to him than just his accent, oh so much more. For instance, there were Antonio's good looks—his slightly curly brown hair that always caught the sun _just_ right, his emerald green eyes, his beautiful, sunny, blindingly white smile, his rippling muscles that weren't overdone like some of the bodybuilders that Lovino saw on TV, his long legs, and best of all—_his ass_. There were no words to describe how _fine_ Lovino found Antonio's beautifully sculpted ass. It was like the gods all came together and decided to use up all of their godly powers just to bless the world (and Lovino) with the majesty that was _Antonio's __ass_.

N-not that he paid much attention to it, no, of course not.

…but still, when Antonio would bend down to pick something up off the ground, Lovino couldn't help but stare. He once caught himself drooling, but luckily nobody else had seen.

While Lovino may have loved his job, however, Antonio was quickly becoming a distraction; one that Lovino couldn't afford to have. He had been called into Gilbert's, his boss, office one day because of his increasing distraction at work.

"Is there something bugging you?" Gilbert had asked, leaning back in his comfortable chair. He had an eyebrow raised. "'Cause if there is, you need to fix it soon. I just found out that you poured a whole bag of food for the goats but didn't leave anything for the lambs; do you think that they're starving, or have something against sheep or something?"

"No sir," Lovino said quietly, glaring at the floor. This was the third time in two months that he had been called in to Gilbert's office because of a mistake on Lovino's part. He was lucky he still had his job after all of his mistakes. If Gilbert had been anyone else, and if Gilbert's brother Ludwig hadn't been dating Felicia, Lovino would have had to look for a new job. He clenched his hands. Why did he have to mess things up? Why couldn't he just get that stupid (no, really; Antonio was about as dumb as a bag of rocks, at least according to Lovino) Spaniard out of his head? Why was he taking control over everything in Lovino's life? Whenever he had a spare moment, he was always thinking about Antonio. Even when he _didn't_ have a spare moment, his mind was always on Antonio. This was getting ridiculous! He was better than this! Stronger than this! He couldn't keep letting a pretty face mess up his life like this. Taking a deep breath and releasing it through gritted teeth, Lovino made a promise with himself. "I'll do better next time. I swear."

Gilbert eyed him, his expression considering. He sighed too, running his hand through his short hair. "We'll see," he said. "Now get out of here and do your job." Lovino didn't have to be told twice.

* * *

><p>Lovino was working in the pens before the zoo officially opened one morning, paying strict attention to his job. He was channeling his focus into his work instead of Antonio-who-shall-not-be-named. …wait. Dammit. He was piling fresh hay around the pen when he heard the sound of approaching voices and footsteps. Not thinking much of it, since it was probably just the dumb security guards or something, Lovino kept up his work. At least, he did until he recognized the voices. It was his boss Gilbert with Ludwig, their cousin (who helped finance the place; no, really, even if he <em>was<em> a stickler with money) and…Antonio.

Lovino felt himself start to flush. Great, just great. He had just finished mucking out the place so now he smelled bad. That wasn't attractive in the slightest. He shook his head. He didn't have time to think about that. He had to prove to his boss that he could work hard. He frowned; stupid Ludwig was probably laughing himself silly (on the inside) about Lovino's situation right now. That was just the kind of person his stupid sister had decided to fall in love with. Smiling grimly, Lovino shook more hay around the pen. If he kept up his hateful thoughts of Ludwig, then he wouldn't lose focus and start thinking about Antonio! It was foolproof!

A light tinkling of laughter made Lovino stiffen. Looking at the group that passed by without looking his way, he saw that his sister was with them after all. Lovino felt lonely all of a sudden. He continued with his work. His sister was always the popular one. She was always the one to hang out with the 'in' crowd, the one to attract all the cool, popular, influential people. She was always the one to go out and have fun with others, while Lovino had to be the one to work all the time. He was the one taken out of their grandfather's will, after all. She was the favorite.

Lovino leaned on the pitchfork he was working with, looking sadly at the little pen that pretty much encompassed his whole life. He wished that _he_ could be the favorite for once. He wanted to be the one to spend time with others that wanted to spend time with him. He wanted to be the one to have friends, he wanted to have people who cared about him the way his sister was cared for.

He wanted to be the one that was loved.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Lovino blinked, not sure if he had heard correctly. Turning around slowly, he was surprised—shocked—to see Antonio himself leaning against the wooden fence of the animal pen, looking at him curiously.

"Huh?" he asked, not really caring at this point that he didn't sound that intelligent. What was he doing here? Why wasn't he spending time with his sister? Of course, before ten minutes ago he didn't even know that Felicia even _knew_ Antonio. What was he doing talking to a nobody like him for?

Antonio smiled. "Well, it's just that I was walking by here and I noticed you looked kind of sad. Usually whenever I see you around you look happy so I didn't know if something had happened, or…"

All Lovino really got out of that sentence was that Antonio knew he existed. He had seen him around before (he said so himself!) and he cared enough to worry about him! Lovino forced himself to calm down. It's probably just something he does, he doesn't really mean it. Still, Lovino was grateful for at least being able to talk to and get the attention of Antonio Carriedo.

"That's creepy, bastard. Are you saying you're stalking me?"

…Now if only he could actually _talk_ like a civilized person, then maybe he wouldn't keep making an ass out of himself in front of people. Especially the people he liked. Just maybe. Lovino turned away, scowling. Now Antonio would never want to talk to him again. That was one thing he was good at, at least; ruining his relationships before they even started. He was even more surprised when Antonio kept talking to him, not sounding mad or offended at all.

"What? No, no!" he protested, but it sounded more embarrassed than angry. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. See, I'm friends with Gilbert so we walk around the park sometimes." Lovino turned around, a little curious. He lifted an eyebrow. "Gil points out different people who work here, different exhibits, that sort of thing! Really, I'm not stalking you or anything."

Lovino snorted, amused he could get this sort of reaction out of him. "I was kidding, you know." Antonio blinked, then slowly smiled at him. Lovino was struck momentarily speechless by that big, wide, bright smile that was directed at no one else but him. Lovino looked away quickly, hurrying to the other side of the pen and picking up the buckets of spare feed.

"Well, at any rate I'm Antonio!" Antonio introduced himself brightly. Lovino was struck again by how much he must smell right now, having worked with animal manure earlier. Instead he mumbled from where he was "You already know my name, if Gilbert really pointed me out to you."

Antonio nodded happily. It seemed he did everything happily, Lovino noticed. "You're Lovino Vargas! Gil says that you're one of his best workers." Lovino flushed over the complement. He was surprised his boss thought that way, especially after having to call him out on not paying attention all the time. Hell, he was even more surprised that he would bother telling his friends about him. Was…was Lovino really that special? "Say, you're also related to Felicia, aren't you?" Lovino stiffened again, looking anywhere but Antonio. He should have known. "I think she said you're her brother. Hey, do you think that sometime maybe-"

"I have to get back to work," Lovino cut in, heading for the gate of the pen. Antonio blinked at him, not sure what had just happened. Lovino thought that he was about to say something when a slightly snobbish sounding voice floated over to them.

"There you are, Antonio." Lovino looked over and saw that it was Gilbert and Ludwig's cousin, Roderich. He walked over to them but stopped ten feet away, nose crinkling in disgust. "Must you stand so near where those filthy animals-ahem-_do their business_?" Lovino felt his hackles rising at the challenge; how dare that prissy nobody insult _his_ animals? He personally bathed them every day, thank you very much! Antonio laughed, glancing over at Lovino once before walking over to Roderich.

"Sorry about that, I got distracted," he said apologetically. He started leading Roderich away, arm around his shoulders. "And it doesn't smell that bad, really. What did you expect from a petting zoo? _You're_ the one helping to finance the place, you know."

Lovino felt his heart clench as he watched them walk away. He should have known that someone like Antonio would already be taken. He was just surprised that he wasn't with his sister. Then again, maybe she just didn't even notice him since she was all over Ludwig. They seemed to be pretty serious lately. Lovino frowned, shuffling back to where the animals were kept, ready to face another day of getting fed, fawned over and fussed with.

* * *

><p>"Ve, Lovi, are you <em>sure<em> you're okay?" Felicia asked, voice filled with concern. She was standing by the front door, her coat half pulled on and purse already in her hand, ready for her date with Ludwig. He was taking her some place special that night, but if Lovino really needed her then she would stay. She told him that much, looking ready to just cancel her date to help her brother. Lovino glanced at her from where he was lounging on their couch, barely paying attention to what was on TV.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm okay," he sighed, tired of his sister fussing over him like this. It had been a week since Lovino had met Antonio. He might have been moping during all that time, but he really didn't mean to make his sister worry about him. "Just go on your date, Felicia; I'm sure Ludwig's just waiting to propose, too."

Felicia blushed, fumbling with the strap to her purse. "N-no, I'm sure that's not it." She paused, looking up at her older brother. "You think?"

Lovino snorted, sitting up to give his sister his full attention. Fuck whatever was on TV; it was probably complete crap anyway. "Trust me on this. He'd be crazy not to, anyway." Felicia smiled happily, flushing over her brother's praise. He didn't complement her, or anyone for that matter, very often.

"Thank you, Lovi," she said gratefully. "But I thought you didn't like Ludwig?"

Lovino snorted. "I don't; you could do so much better. Have I ever told you how much your taste in guys sucks?" Felicia rolled her eyes. "Almost every time Ludwig's ever brought up."

"Only almost? Damn, I must be losing my edge," he muttered. Felicia raised an eyebrow. Lovino sighed. "Yeah, I don't like him but you do. Just saying, though, he better keep his hands to himself." Felicia might have said something more but her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled the phone out and checked the text message, biting her lip.

"Ludwig's outside…" She trailed off, looking at Lovino again with worry in her eyes. Lovino rolled his eyes, waving her off.

"Go have fun," he dismissed her, turning back to the television. "Or as much fun you can have with a stiff-ass, stupid potato bastard like him." Felicia sighed, realizing that that was the most she could ever get out of her brother. Pulling her coat on all the way, she said a last goodbye and left.

That was just fine with Lovino. He didn't want to drag Felicia down with him. It was enough that at least one of them was happy, really. Even if it _was_ Felicia, who was always able to be happy. Even if it meant that Lovino could never be the one to finally catch a break. Even if it meant that he would end up alone.

Groaning, Lovino lay down on the couch, willing himself to just go to sleep and leave everything behind.

* * *

><p>Lovino was handing out balloons this week. Gilbert had apparently noticed that he was feeling mopey and thought that Lovino should be kept away from the animals, in case his foul mood started seeping over to them. Lovino thought that the whole thing was stupid as hell since now he ran the risk of 'letting his bad mood run over' to the guests (namely small children), but whatever. Gilbert was the boss, not him.<p>

At least all he had to do was just fill balloons up with helium and hand them out to visitors. Lovino didn't even have to wear a stupid clown outfit or anything; he could even look as apathetic as he wanted, and nobody but the parents would have noticed. They, of course, would have probably sympathized with him. He was just debating whether he should feel insulted by that or not when a bright, happy voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Lovi!" Antonio called, making his way through a sea of small children. Lovino felt a moment of blind panic. What was he doing here? Why was he following him? Why couldn't this guy just leave him alone? What was Lovino going to do now? Should he leave, act like he hadn't heard or seen the Spaniard? Should he play it casual, act as if Antonio meant nothing to him and that he _wasn't_ affecting Lovino in the slightest? But, most important of all, _what the hell was a 'Lovi'?_

Antonio finally broke through the mass of children, standing in front of Lovino looking triumphant. Was it really that big a deal that he had managed to get through a crowd of kids just to get to him? Lovino kept his face bland, not letting himself give anything away. Antonio didn't notice and continued to smile at him. Handing off one last balloon, Lovino huffed "Is there something you wanted, bastard?"

Bitter? Who said he was bitter, just because the guy he liked was in a relationship with the stiffest person Lovino ever met? What gave you that idea? That's just how Lovino referred to everyone. Except women, of course; he may be gay, but Lovino still had a soft spot for women. Probably had something to do with his sister, actually.

If Antonio noticed Lovino's abrupt tone, he didn't say anything. Instead, he asked Lovino what he was doing right now. Lovino raised an eyebrow, wondering how he could have fallen for someone so thick. Gesturing to the balloons in his hand and the helium machine he had been given _**STRICT**_ orders to not let out of his sight, he asked in return "What do you think? I'm making and handing out balloons. What, did you think that I was holding these because I have a balloon fetish or something?" A few parents around them gave Lovino dirty looks and hurried their children away before Lovino could corrupt them anymore than he already had.

Antonio shook his head. "Well, it's just that you're usually over with the animals, I was surprised to see you all the way over here. Did you get a promotion or something?" Lovino snorted. Like hell this was a promotion, and he told Antonio as such. The Spaniard frowned, confused. "Then…why are you over here? Did you get in trouble with Gil? If so, I could have a talk with him…"

"No!" Lovino exclaimed, grabbing one of Antonio's arms as if he was afraid the other man was going to leave right then and there to talk to his boss. "That's the last thing I need. I'm not in trouble or anything; I just ended up here with this job is all." Antonio looked relieved for some reason.

"Oh, well, that's good then," he said. "I was worried that something had happened, since you seemed to be sad for a while now." Lovino felt a jolt when he realized that Antonio had taken his hand and was now looking into his eyes, trying to divine his thoughts through their depths. "Want to tell me about it?"

Lovino didn't know why, but he felt the familiar pin-pricks around his eyes that meant that he was tearing up. He would _not_ cry in front of Antonio, he would not! Especially not in public. He tried to take his hand back from Antonio but the other wouldn't let go. Lovino suddenly felt like everyone was staring at him. He had to get out of there, he wanted to get away right now. A hand landing on his shoulder jolted him. The hand belonged to Antonio who was looking at him in concern.

"Lovi?"

There was no way out of this. Lovino gulped, looking down at his shoes. Weakly, he gestured to a small enclosure where several picnic tables were set up for families to have lunch at. Lovino led the way, hand still grasping onto the few balloons that he had left in his hand. His other hand was pulling the helium tank along behind him. Gilbert would kill him, and then fire him (yes, in that order), if something happened to it while Lovino was supposed to be watching it. Sitting down, Lovino was silent for a moment before he opened up to Antonio.

Sort of.

He told Antonio about how he had been in love with…someone. He left out names, of course, and Antonio didn't pry. Lovino told him about how the person (he also kept gender out of the conversation; he was suddenly afraid of Antonio hating him if he found out he was gay, conveniently forgetting that Antonio himself was gay as well, since he was dating Roderich) and how that person was dating someone else. He also talked about how he was jealous of his sister and of all the friends she had and her steady relationship with Ludwig. He still hadn't asked her to marry him yet, and she was getting frustrated and annoyed. If this kept up any longer, she was going to ask him herself.

Antonio was silent through his story, nodding along at the parts that really mattered. He even smiled briefly at the story of an angry Felicia and a silent Ludwig. Lovino didn't know why he was suddenly telling this man all of this, especially since he had never even told the person he was closest with, Felicia. It was just…an _atmosphere_ that Lovino felt around Antonio. It was an atmosphere that told him that he was safe, and that Antonio wouldn't judge him. Before he knew it, Lovino had even calmed down enough to not scare small children with his angry face. He managed to give away the rest of the balloons in his hand, something he was glad for; his hand was starting to cramp up.

When Lovino was finished, Antonio regarded him for a moment. "So, you like someone who doesn't like you back?" he asked. Lovino flinched slightly, especially since that person was _Antonio_ himself. He nodded anyway, feeling emotionally spent from spilling his guts out, metaphorically speaking of course.

His intestines were still were they were before. Lovino knew because he could still feel the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach with Antonio sitting next to him like this. Their legs were even touching a little, making Lovino feel like his leg had been scorched where it touched Antonio. The close proximity, and this talk, only made him realize how much he was out of Antonio's league. Hell, he wasn't even in the same ballpark. Lovino swallowed, looking straight ahead. Love sucked sometimes.

"Well, whoever that person is, is just stupid," Antonio said bluntly. Lovino looked over wildly at Antonio, not sure what he was getting at. Oh, he knew the movies and the books, and he knew what he wanted to happen next. But real life didn't happen like that. He wouldn't let himself hope, just to get crushed later. But he still wondered… Antonio saw the look he was getting and smiled apologetically, shrugging slightly. "Sorry, no offense to whoever it is," he said. "It's just, if it was me, I would definitely choose you over the other person."

Lovino felt shocked. His heart was steady for a beat before it started straining against his chest, it was beating so hard. He felt like his whole body had turned red from blushing so hard, and his palms were sweaty too. Gross.

"You-what?" Lovino asked when his brain had finally caught up. "D-don't be s-stupid." This couldn't be happening. He had to be imagining this, he couldn't really mean— "Y-you c-c-can't be s-serious."

"Very serious," Antonio said simply, watching Lovino with vague amusement in his eyes.

Lovino blinked several times, still not letting himself believe this was happening. "But…but…what about Roderich?"

Antonio seemed confused by the question. "What about him?"

Lovino scowled. "You're dating him! I've seen the two of you around here, always having your arm draped all over him, holding hands, that sort of thing! You can't tell me that all of that meant nothing, can you?" A horrible idea occurred to Lovino, making him feel as though he was sucker-punched in the stomach. By his sister; despite her small demeanor and looks, she had one of the strongest punches that Lovino had ever seen. "Unless…unless, you didn't mean…you didn't mean what you meant…about me…and…you…"

"I did!" Antonio told him emphatically, grabbing hold of Lovino's arms so that he had no choice but to look him straight in the eye. "I really, truly meant it. I like you, Lovino. I'm kind of sad that you like someone else, but I still think you should give me a chance. I know that we haven't really spoken to each other much, but we could still hang out to get to know each other better, right?" Lovino felt his eyes start to water again as his heart clenched. This had to be a dream. There was no way that Antonio felt the same way that he did…well, he had said that he _liked_ Lovino. That was a good enough start; if he wasn't dreaming, that is.

A warm hand entered Lovino's vision and started wiping his tears away. When Lovino could see clearly again, the first thing he saw was Antonio's warm smile coming closer to him. His breath caught in his throat when Lovino felt warm, soft lips press against his briefly. Antonio pulled away, his hands rubbing up and down Lovino's arms in a comforting motion.

"What do you say, Lovi? Will you give me a chance?"

Lovino wanted to scream 'yes' at the top of his lungs, but he didn't for a few reasons. One was that they were still in a public place; he still had enough shame in him to know that this was a bad idea. The second reason was that if Gilbert found out, somehow, Lovino would probably get in trouble for scaring the patronage. Third was that yelling yes like that was just a faggy thing to do, and Lovino didn't need to seem any more gay than he already was; especially not in front of Antonio.

Fourth, and final, and probably the most important reason, was that there was still something bugging him about Antonio's confession (cue his swooning heart).

"But what about Roderich?" Lovino frowned. "I'm not going to help you cheat on somebody, bastard." To his surprise, Antonio started chuckling, light blush appearing on his own face when it looked like Lovino was going to go out with him after all.

"We were never dating," he confessed. "Though, I suppose it's a good thing that you thought we were; see, Roderich and I go way back, probably back to around when I met Gilbert. Honestly, I forget now who I met first. But Roderich likes this childhood friend of his and Gilbert's, Elizabeta. He thought that she liked Gilbert though, so he asked me for advice."

"So you pretended to go out with each other? To make her jealous?" Lovino asked slowly, wondrously. How would that have even worked? "But what if she thought that Roderich was gay too?" Antonio had a wry smile on his face, almost a smirk.

"Elizabeta likes gay men," he told Lovino. "She…just really, really likes them. We thought that this way would have been best, since this way she would start paying attention to Roderich now. It turns out we didn't even have to bother, either. She had had a crush on Roderich, too, but had thought that she wasn't lady-like enough for him." Antonio laughed here, shaking his head. "You know, she came after me with a frying pan when she found out that we were 'dating' and told me to back off." He shuddered at the memory. Elizabeta could be _scary_ when she wanted to be.

Lovino sniffed, scooting closer to Antonio slightly. So he wasn't dating someone else. Just hearing that story lifted a weight that he hadn't even known he had. The sides of his mouth twitched, turning up into a smile. It was surprising how weightless he felt right now. It was almost like he was still a teenager, falling in love for the first time. Looking at Antonio he had a feeling that he was.

* * *

><p>Felicia really did have to ask Ludwig to marry her after all. Lovino had insisted he be there when she ask and was greatly amused when he saw Ludwig stiffen up, his face turning fire engine red. He started laughing even more when he started saying yes over and over again in German, tripping over himself to reach over and hug Felicia. Even Lovino had to admit that the whole thing had been cute. With grudging acceptance, he 'allowed' the two to be married. His only condition was that he be invited to the wedding and be made godfather of their first born child. Felicia and Ludwig thought that these were simple enough demands, especially if it meant that he would stop trying to come in between them.<p>

Roderich and Elizabeta got married shortly after Felicia and Ludwig were, and they couldn't have been happier. Well, maybe if Gilbert hadn't been drunk when he was their best man, but they had expected as much. The two had a beautiful daughter that they named after Roderich's mother, Elise. She and Felicia and Ludwig's son Erik were close, but because of their familial tie all they ever were was just friends. Sometimes Elise would lay awake at night thinking, 'what if?' She married a man she met in college and was content with her life. Erik married a local girl and opened up a drug store in town.

Lovino and Antonio tried dating for a while and found they didn't like it. So, they became engaged instead. They weren't quite ready for married life, so instead they remained engaged for the rest of their lives. It was the best fit for them, they felt, so they were happy with this arrangement even though others questioned why they never took their relationship a step further. In the end, they decided that it was just none of their business.

The petting zoo stayed in business for a long time because of its immense popularity. Eventually, Gilbert was forced into retirement and he ended up having to hand over the place to someone else. That person gambled away the profits and drove the zoo into the ground, eventually having to foreclose. Gilbert's son, Heinrich, grew up having heard stories and tales of how great the zoo used to be and decided to open it up for himself again. It took a lot of work, and Elise's practical mind with numbers, to turn it around, along with a _lot_ of patience and good luck, but they were eventually able to turn the place around and restore it to its former glory. When Gilbert, Ludwig, Felicia, Antonio, Lovino, Roderich and Elizabeta returned to the place in their seventies, they were surprised and delighted to see how well it was doing again. The couples spent their anniversaries there and returned once a year to see how things were going up until they died.

The zoo remained in Beilschmidt hands for generations to come, eventually gaining enough profit to turn into a real zoo that gained national acclaim. There is a plaque that stands above the petting zoo with Gilbert, Ludwig, Felicia, Antonio, Lovino, Roderich and Elizabeta's names on it, put up their by their children to commemorate the place. Nobody remembers who they were, or why they were important enough to have a plaque; if you ask the owner of the zoo, a Beilschmidt more likely than not, you can learn a little of whom these people were and how magical the zoo really is.

There's even an urban legend that says if you confess under a specific eating shelter in the zoo, you will live long and happy lives together with the one you confessed with. No one's sure how this came to be about, though.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Nine; Next up—You get three wishes; you better make sure they're good ones!<em>


	10. Life 10 I Dream of Lovi

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 10; I Dream of Lovi  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio x Genie!Fem!Lovino. Antonio has three wishes; hopefully he doesn't waste them.  
><em>_Rating__: T for very __**slight**__ language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, my bad writing skills, a somewhat confusing way of writing/reading, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovina, Antonio, Emma, Lars (the Netherlands), Carlos (Cuba), mentions of Sadik, Grandfather Romulus, Vash, Lili (Liechtenstein), Berwald (Sweden), Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, maybe Arthur.  
><em>_Pairings__: Friendly/Sibling-like Antonio/Lovina. Or romantic, if you really want it to be.  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,036.  
><em>_Notes__: I was able to write this all in one sitting, late at night. It took a few hours, thanks to a few distractions. I was writing the part up here, when Microsoft Word closed on me. I hadn't saved anything yet. Luckily enough, Microsoft Word saved it for me. I…don't know what I would have done if it hadn't. But that's moot now. Enjoy!_

**_Edit:_**_ I have an interview on Saturday, so next chapter may be a little late._

* * *

><p>"<em>So, I really get three wishes?"<em>

"_Yep, three wishes, no more, no less. No take-backs, no do-overs, and absolutely _**NO**_ wishing for more wishes. Don't be a smart ass; don't be that guy that wishes for more wishes, even __**after**__ I've told you not to. Just don't be that guy. Any other questions?"_

"_Umm…is there anything else I have to know? Any wishes that I can't make?"_

"_Well, other than not wishing for more wishes—yes, I __will__ keep pressing this issue until you get it—you can't wish for me to kill someone for you. You have to do your own dirty work yourself. The same goes for making someone fall in love with you; yes, very generic, I know. But it gets the job done. Ready for your first wish?"_

"_Hmm…"_

* * *

><p>Lovina thought that it would be easy. Just another job like all the others. Someone would rub her lamp, she would come out, do her thing and grant their selfish wishes (though, admittedly, she did sometimes get selfless wishes; like that one time that Swiss guy wished for his sister to be able to get that operation she needed. His other wishes ended up being unending isolation and not wasting money. That was definitely one of her stranger cases), and then Lovina would *POOF!* return to her lamp, which would then return to the Magic Realm for about twenty years or so. After that, she would be assigned a new area to wait for who knew how long until someone else came along and rubbed her lamp. That's the way it usually happened.<p>

And then she met Antonio.

He was a strange man; she knew that as soon as she saw him. However, that didn't mean anything to her at the time, since she had had quite a few strange ones, such as the time those two guys found her, one with a carefree, easygoing personality and two strands of hair that stuck out over his forehead. The other guy had two hair curls, similar to Lovina's own. They had wished for someone to take sides for them in arguments they had, to 'prevent a blood feud'. Then again, it was usually the strange ones that sought out the genies in the first place. If you were normal, why would you want to seek out danger just for a few wishes? But still, Antonio was strange, even for the people who usually visited her. He had the usual travelers cloak and outfit, looking a little worse for wear. She felt like smirking when she saw how tattered his clothes were. Apparently, her boss Sadik had assigned her to one of the more dangerous, remote areas of the world.

It was always a matter of pride for a genie to be assigned to a hard to reach place. It added to the wonder and mystery around the myth of the genie-folk. If they were assigned somewhere where they were found shortly after being assigned, then it had the feeling of being cheap attached to it. It was an insult, really; like saying that they weren't as good or as powerful as the other genies. Usually it was the weaker genies that had these positions. The really powerful genies, the ones that could use magic that would affect more than just the area around them, sometimes even change the fabric of the universe, were the ones that were hidden away with the most intrigue surrounding them, and the most obstacles.

Judging by the tatters and scorch marks on Antonio's clothes, he had encountered a dragon sometime in his search for her. Lovina felt a glowing pride fill up deep within her. So she was worth a dragon, was she? Having looked around, she noticed that she seemed to be in a labyrinth as well. Grandfather Romulus would have been proud.

She went through the usual speech that they were to give to their new 'masters', but with her own flourish, her own… 'personal touch'. Antonio had nodded along, almost as if he had expected nothing else. This made Lovina raise an eyebrow. What sort of tales were told about her, she wondered? It had been about one hundred years since she had been assigned. It was more than most, but it wasn't quite the best. Oh no, there was a legend among even the Genie People; the legend of the Great Genie who had waited ten thousand years in the _Cave of Fucking Wonders_ of all places! Okay, so fucking wasn't in the actual name, but still. It was a legend. It was something that many dreamed of being able to accomplish, including Lovina herself. Rumor had it that Sadik even knew the genie that had had that honor. Some said that it was Sadik himself. Lovina knew that she had to keep doing good so that she would be able to one day have such an honor.

Antonio had told her first of all that he wanted to get out of there before he even started to think about his wishes. Lovina had offered to get him out with her power, but Antonio had merely shaken his head no. He wanted to get out with his own power, not with hers. She understood this. Others had found Lovina and wanted to get back without wasting one of their wishes. They thought that since they were able to get through the first time, they should be able to make it back out. Rarely did they actually succeed. When that happened, Lovina had to wait again for a new 'master'. Judging by how much enthusiasm Antonio had as he tucked her lamp into his waist belt, she figured that he had a fifty-fifty chance of making it out. Deciding to wait out the trip, she waited in her lamp during his adventure.

She was vaguely surprised when she was let out again, out in the woods somewhere. She didn't think that it had been that long since she returned to her lamp to suddenly appear in a forest, but she could have been easily mistaken. She didn't know what the geography of the area was like. She had thought that she was in the desert, but that could have been wrong. What also surprised Lovina was that Antonio wasn't alone. There were three other people with him, two men and a woman. They were all looking at her in awe and amazement; well, as much as they were able to. One of the new men had a very stoic looking face, looking like he never had much emotion showing on his face. He also had spiky blond hair and a scar on his forehead. What she also noticed was that he had a ridiculously long scarf wrapped around his neck.

The other man had a dark skin color like Antonio's, looking like he could have been related to him. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail of dreadlocks. He wore a colorful shirt and a beaded necklace. He was also smoking a thick cigar, the smoke pluming up over their heads. Now that she noticed it, the tall man with the scarf was also smoking something, but in this case through a long pipe.

The only girl in their company had short, dark blonde hair that was held back by a green scarf. She had a curious smile on her face, and she had a grip on the tallest male's arm. One thing that Lovina noticed about her, and about everyone else there in general, is that they seemed to defer to Antonio as their boss.

Antonio himself smiled proudly as he showed her off. Lovina felt like sighing. She had been through this as well before. Some 'daring adventurer' would find her lamp and either bring her as a gift or sell her to some merchant or wealthy ruler for a profit and a good will gesture. What they didn't know was that she would only obey the one who found her. If something happened to her master, then she was automatically sent back to the Magic Realm. Also, it wasn't up to Lovina how her 'masters' used her powers. All she was there for was to grant their wishes. She once asked Sadik why it was that genies had their jobs. His response had been that it was up to them to observe human wants and desires. If they understood what it was that humans wished for, and why, then they could understand human nature.

Antonio introduced everyone to each other. Well, he introduced Lovina to everyone else. The tall man with the scarf was Lars. The woman was his sister, Emma. The other man was Antonio's cousin Carlos. Together, they made up the Tomato Gang. Lovina was slightly intrigued. It had been a while since she last worked with a gang or criminal organization. Usually it was just various people who came and went just as quickly as their wishes did. Other times, it was kings and rulers who needed her to either secure their rule or ruin someone else's. It was always interesting to work with a gang.

From what Antonio told her, they were going to sneak into a neighboring fiefdom and steal some important documents. They were mercenaries, they said, and very famous, very good ones. They were charged with bringing the documents to another fiefdom where the lord there, one Lord Berwald Oxenstierna, would decide whether to inform the king or not. Something about high treason; the Tomato Gang didn't care either way, as long as they were paid and not bothered by anyone in particular. Lovina could respect this. It was how she felt most times, waiting for her current 'master' to use up his wishes so she could return to her home in the Magic Realm.

Lovina had thought that her role to play would be to use her magic to make the mission a success. Lars had scoffed, saying that they worked with their own power and nothing else. Emma had smiled apologetically, explaining that they had a reputation to maintain. If word got out that they had used a genie on one of their jobs, their credibility would fall. That confused Lovina. Then why was she even there?

Antonio smiled. He explained that they had been on the way to the fiefdom when they caught word of her and her lamp. They thought that it seemed a little sad and unfair that she wait forever like that, so they went in and saved her. Or at least, Antonio did. Lovina blinked. Then, what was she to do? She had to grant wishes; that was her job, her sole duty while in the human realm. Judging by the blank expressions on their faces, this hadn't occurred to them.

Antonio hadn't remained confused for long. Grinning proudly, he loudly declared that his first wish would be for tomatoes. Lovina had stared in disbelief. Antonio clarified, he didn't want just any tomatoes; he wanted a _lot_ of tomatoes! Lovina had glanced around the group to check their reactions. Carlos laughed as Emma smiled her strange smile again. Lars saw her expression and shrugged. Why did you think we were called the 'tomato' gang, he had asked. Lovina shook her head. There was no helping it. Her 'master' had asked for tomatoes, so tomatoes he would get.

The way that Antonio had cheered when he saw the tomatoes was almost endearing. Lovina appreciated a man who could appreciate tomatoes. The Tomato Gang set up camp for the night, saying that they would set out later the next day. They had a deadline to make, Lars had reminded them, and they had already wasted a lot of time on their side trip. Emma had soothed Lovina and calmed her down, saying that her brother was just like that. He wasn't upset or anything with Lovina, he just never got along with Antonio. Carlos had shrugged, sitting down and lighting another cigar. That was just the way things were with this group. He assured Lovina that she would get used to it soon. That made Lovina stop and think; just how long would she be staying with these people? When would be the next time that she would be able to return home?

* * *

><p>Antonio's second wish had been something rather similar to the first, at least in terms of ridiculousness. He wished for ice cream for Carlos, since his cousin was practically addicted to the stuff. Carlos had apparently contributed greatly to the mission, including punching out one of the guard bosses. Since it would be a long time until they could find another place that had ice cream, Antonio decided to indulge his cousin.<p>

As Lovina continued her journeys with this group of thieves, killers, mercenaries, whatever they needed to be, she grew to understand them better and learn more about them. For instance, she learned that Carlos and Antonio were actually third cousins, but they had been raised together close enough that they considered each other to be siblings more than anything. As for the actual siblings, Lovina found out that Lars and Emma had another sibling, a brother who was younger than the both of them. She also learned that they both adored him, but each in their own way. They wanted what was best for him, so they left him at a good school so he could learn magic and other arts while they went around as the Tomato Gang (with their identities anonymous) to raise money to send to their brother in school. At least, that's what Emma said she did. Lars was ridiculously tight-lipped about his own earnings.

She caught herself smiling whenever she was around them, something she almost never did. Maybe Sadik had been right, she thought to herself. It wasn't so bad to learn more about human nature.

Despite all of her newfound knowledge about human behavior, Antonio continued to remain an enigma. On the surface he seemed so artificially happy that Lovina was surprised to find out that he really was that happy all the time. But she also knew that there were hidden depths to him; he had to have them, to have become the leader of the Tomato Gang. But there was also a kindness that he showed almost exclusively to the Tomato Gang. Even among the gang, he seemed to have a soft spot for the girls, especially Lovina. She couldn't say that she didn't like it either, since it was the first time in a long time that someone had paid that much attention to her. She was quite happy and content to stay with the Tomato Gang and share in their adventures. She knew it couldn't last forever, though.

The subject came up every now and then. Lovina would float over to Antonio in the evenings when everyone was relaxing by the fire. She and Antonio would start in on some conversation or another, and eventually she would ask him; when was he going to ask his third wish? What was his third wish going to be? Every time she would ask this, Antonio would gain a strange look in his eye, like he was tired of Lovina asking this but didn't want to show it in case he offended her. He would redirect the question, asking her what she thought he should ask for. Exasperated, Lovina would tell him what she told him every time. She couldn't influence her master's wishes; they had to come up with it themselves. Antonio would say that yes, he knew that. But he still wanted to know if she had any ideas. She would shake her head and float (or walk; it depended on how angry she was) away.

The growing suspense was starting to get to her. She didn't like this stagnation, this waiting. She knew that she would have to go back eventually. She just wished that Antonio would hurry up with his wish. It would make the parting less painful than if she stayed any longer.

* * *

><p>When the third wish was finally made, Lovina didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he even serious? Did he even know what he was asking of her?<p>

Antonio had drawn her away from the rest of the gang for a private word or two. Everyone was used to this by now, since Antonio had taken a special interest in Lovina. She had thought that it would just be something mundane, a quick word of encouragement or something. She was surprised, and admittedly a little saddened when she heard that he had finally decided to make his third wish. When she asked him what it was, another strange look crossed into Antonio's eyes, shielding her from understanding what he was thinking.

"_You"_

He had said simply. Just you. She turned red and looked to the side. Don't be an idiot, she had told him. I already told you that I can't make anyone fall in love; that includes me, you know, she had let him know. He told her he knew. But he also knew that that shouldn't be a problem anyway. He also told her that he wasn't asking her to make anyone love him. All he wanted was her, as herself. Lovina wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't even know if there was a protocol for something like this. Antonio walked over to her slowly, looking straight into her eyes. He asked her simply if she wanted to stay with them. He wanted to know if she would rather stay with the Tomato Gang, or if she wanted to go back to her home. He told her that he understood if she wanted to go back; after all, that was where her home was. That was where all her family, friends, and other people she knew were.

But, he warned her, she was also wanted there with the Tomato Gang. They all loved her, and they would be sad if she left. Lovina had shook, emotions starting to overflow. She had never been given a choice before. Usually she would just hear wishes and grant them, with no other option. Even in the Magic Realm, she would get an assignment and then have to go there. Did she want to stay with her new friends—her new family—or did she want to go back to the Magic Realm? If she went back, she wouldn't be able to stay there forever. She would eventually be sent off somewhere else. But for how long? How much longer could Lovina stand to go through the same thing, over and over? With the Tomato Gang, everything was an adventure. Every day was bright and new, and Lovina didn't know where she would end up next. She looked shakily into Antonio's eyes. What did she need to do, did he know? After all, he was the one that had to make the wish.

Antonio smiled, letting the emotion in his eyes shine again. For the first time, Lovina saw worry reflected in those beautiful green eyes. She saw happiness, pride, and…love. All she needed to do, he told her, was allow him to wish that Lovina became human. Her eyes widened. If she turned human, she would never be able to return to the Magic Realm again. Lovina steeled her will. That was alright with her. For a long time now, that place hadn't been home for her. The only home she needed was with these four people here and now. That was something worth sacrificing everything for.

Lovina accepted the wish. She felt as the magical connection that she had with the Magic Realm grow suddenly and then fade away completely. She was cut off completely. For a horrible moment, Lovina felt unmistakably, horribly alone. But then Antonio hugged her from the side. Then Emma came over, tears in her eyes. She hugged Lovina as well. Carlos walked over and patted her on the back, comfortingly. Welcoming. Lars stood to the side, not really one for touching, heartwarming moments. She did catch his eye, though, and he gave her a little nod that let her know that her decision was not a mistake.

She was welcome here. She had family. For once, Lovina wasn't off by herself, alone. As far as she could tell, the only remaining evidence of her life as a genie was a higher level of magic than regular humans. She didn't mind. From now on, she would be able to help her new friends—her new family, she thought as she looked at Antonio—with their work now. She wouldn't just be a burden that had to be carried along in her lamp. She could pull her own weight—and how!

Speaking of that lamp, it was completely useless now. She probably could have sold it for a sum of money, but it just held too many memories that she didn't want to get rid of yet. This lamp had been with her through everything. It may have seemed silly, but she wanted to keep it. At least, keep it until she found a good place to leave it somewhere for closure. Until then, she would hold onto it.

Who knew; it may come in handy sometime.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter 10. Next up—we're going back to camp!<em>


	11. Life 11 Camp Memories

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 11; Camp Memories  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Camp counselor!Antonio x Counselor!Lovino. This summer, Antonio swears that he'll win Lovino's affections, one way or the other.  
><em>_Rating__: T for safety, I guess.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some language (nothing really bad, I don't think), DATASS, ogling over DAT ASS, my bad writing skills, something of an abrupt ending, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Gilbert, Francis, Ludwig, Feliciano, Alfred, Arthur, Matthew, Ivan, Yao, Kiku, Yong-Soo, Eduard (Estonia), Raivis (Latvia), Toris, Elizabeta, Roderich, and Grandpa Romulus. Admittedly, some of those are slight cameos/mentions, but it still counts.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, slight Feliciano/OC (who isn't even named and doesn't even count for anything important in life). Gilbert/trouble…  
><em>_Word Count__: 2,790.  
><em>_Notes__: I wasn't too thrilled to start this one because I wasn't sure where to go with it. Now that I'm finished, I can easily say that this is my least favorite of the ones I've written so far (all are in chronological order). Not to say I hate it, it's just not my favorite. Vaguely inspired by my own camp experiences and Wet, Hot American Summer (a movie; a very funny one, too). I hope this doesn't bore you too much._

**_Edit:_**_ Because of time constraints, I decided to upload this earlier than usual. I hope this doesn't annoy anybody._

* * *

><p>Camp had always been fun for Antonio. When he had been small and young enough, he would attend Hetalia International Stay-Away Camp every summer. The camp was located on a sprawling seventy-five acres with a lakefront access to Lake Hetalia. There were walking and hiking trails all over the place, complete with a few horseback riding trails as well. All in all, it was a great place to attend as far as camps went. Now that he was too old to attend as a camper, he went as a counselor. He couldn't help himself; he just had so many good memories from this place. It was where Antonio met his best friends of all time, Francis Bonnefoy and Gilbert Beilschmidt. They may live in other countries, but they were still good friends. Camp was also where Antonio met the love of his life, Lovino Vargas. It took some convincing, but Antonio finally managed to convince the fiery Italian to become a counselor with him. Now all he had to do was convince Lovino to go out with him.<p>

After the first day where everyone had orientation, the counselors were split up so they could get to know each other better. Along with Antonio and Lovino, the other counselors were Francis and Gilbert (of course), Gilbert's younger brother Ludwig, Lovino's brother Feliciano, and others that Antonio knew only by name—Alfred, his brother Matthew, Arthur, Ivan, Yao, Roderich, Elizabeta, Kiku, Toris, Raivis, Eduard, and Yong Soo. Antonio's first impression was that the campers had their work cut out for them. His other first impression was that the camp director must have been insane to hire them all.

The counselors split into groups, usually depending on which activities they were in charge of. Antonio ended up with Gilbert, Roderich, Elizabeta and Lovino over by the docks where they would be in charge of all boating activities, swimming, and fishing. Elizabeta and Roderich were in charge of the swimming activities, Gilbert and Antonio helped out with the boating fun, and Lovino was king of fishing. Sometimes, they had decided, if it seemed that one of the others needed help with an activity, such as if there were too many campers for them to handle, then they would come over and help the other out.

A week after the counselors had arrived and gotten settled in, the first set of campers arrived. Things were hectic, of course, but they were all fun. Antonio loved working with the kids, even if some of them were brats. To his amusement, Gilbert started walking around in nothing but swim trunks with a towel hanging around his neck. Their friend Francis tried to follow his example, but since he was working with arts and crafts that didn't really work out that great. After a week had passed, the first wave of campers had left. They had the weekends off, which was good since the next week another set of campers arrived. This was going to be the pattern for the rest of summer.

During the third week of camp, a competition started between the counselor groups. Antonio thought that it might have started between Arthur and Gilbert as just an argument. Eventually, that argument rolled out of control and started adding others into it; Alfred started pranking his brother, Yong Soo started going after Yao and Kiku, who were also starting to go against each other as well. He didn't know when it started, maybe when Feliciano brought his brother into the fray, but an epic prank war started among the counselors. It wasn't anything really terrible, of course, but they still managed to annoy each other. For instance, Gilbert led a raid by the Dock Block (a name they started referring to themselves as) against the Allies of Justice (Alfred had named them. To the group's chagrin, the name stuck). They would trash the Allies' area, spraying shaving cream all over the place, throwing papers, setting up speakers that played nothing but Bach's greatest hits over and over (Roderich still held a grudge against them for using his music sheets as arts and crafts papier mâché).

Eventually, things escalated to the point that the camp director ended up having to get involved.

Antonio stood in line with the rest of the counselors, awkwardly shuffling their feet as Romulus Vargas stalked in front of the group. The majority of the counselors were soaked in water, with exception of the Dock Block (who were the ones who threw the rest into the lake). Everyone was covered in silly string, a few had some bruises and Antonio had to keep pulling his pants up from where someone had fallen on him and ripped them. He also had the feeling that he was attracting a lot of stares, but he didn't know why… Beside him, Antonio heard Lovino sniffle a little. He wasn't the only one; Feliciano was also holding back tears. Antonio could understand why, since the director was their grandfather. Personally, Antonio didn't think they had anything to worry about. It was the rest of the group, and Antonio especially because of his clear feelings and intentions to go out with Lovino, that had to worry the most. Antonio could feel himself wilt under Romulus' glare. Was it his imagination, or was the director mainly glaring at Antonio?

"So," Romulus said in his loud, projecting voice. Antonio felt Lovino flinch beside him. He had no doubt that Feliciano was probably doing the same thing; the two adored their grandfather. They didn't want to get on his bad side. "You all decided to act as juvenile as the campers you're supposed to be watching. Do you have anything to say?"

A few mumbles here and there, but nobody dared actually say anything. Poor Toris, Raivis and Eduard were shaking even worse than Lovino and his brother right now. Pretty much the only ones who looked calm, and not even a little ashamed of themselves, were Gilbert and Ivan which was strange since they didn't get along well with each other. Romulus raised an eyebrow as he continued to stalk in front of the counselors.

"Now, I appreciate a little fun as much as the next person but even I have to say that you went too far this time," he continued. "Three quarters of my counselors are now soaked after being dumped in the lake by the _rest_ of my counselors, my poor grandbabies are emotionally scarred now, and poor Antonio is losing his pants." Romulus looked over with a slightly pitying look on his face. Antonio waved him off, hiking his torn pants up again.

"No, really, I'm okay," he said with a smile. "These were old pants anyway. It's not anything I can't handle." For some reason, Francis started laughing when he said that. Lovino also looked a little red in the face and was determinedly looking away from Antonio, though every now and then he would glance his way out of the corner of his eye. A few other people looked uncomfortable, too, when he started trying to adjust his pants again. At this point, Antonio felt that it was a lost cause; they were hanging around his waist like how some of Gilbert's rapper friends did with their pants. Romulus raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Gilbert, give Antonio your towel," he said with a sigh. Antonio tried to refuse, but Gilbert practically shoved it his way with a smirk on his face. Shrugging, Antonio wrapped the towel securely around his waist. When he was finished Romulus addressed the rest of the counselors. "Better?"

To Antonio's confusion, most everyone started nodding their heads yes. A few even looked relieved, though some looked disappointed. Including Lovino, for some reason… Antonio didn't get it. Did they like seeing him make a fool of himself like that so much?

Romulus got everyone's attention again. "Technically, I need to punish you all for doing stuff like this. However, that would usually mean either firing you all or cutting your pay." All around Antonio, though he was no exception, everyone started looking aghast and worried at the prospect of being fired. "However, that would mean including my grandbabies in that punishment, so that's not what I'm going to do." Never before had everyone appreciated Romulus' favoritism. "Instead, I'm revoking your weekend privileges for…I don't know guys, what's a good time frame?" he asked his grandsons. Lovino shrugged, not liking the attention from everybody. Feliciano looked contemplative.

"Ve…well, I have a date for the week after next, so maybe until then?"

"Okay then!" Romulus nodded enthusiastically, shooting his grandson a wink and thumbs up. Feliciano chuckled, loving the positive attention and approval from his grandfather. After a quick hug fest between the two, in which they dragged Lovino in to be a part of while everyone else had to stay in line, they were dismissed for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Antonio was changing into a new pair of short khaki's (camp uniform, unfortunately; Francis cried for three straight days. The Vargas siblings didn't take it so well, either) when he heard a throat clearing itself behind him. Antonio glanced back and smiled, happy to see Lovino standing there. Lovino was shuffling awkwardly, avoiding looking directly at Antonio. Antonio didn't mind, since Lovino was just shy like that sometimes. It only made him cuter, in his opinion.<p>

"Lovi!" he said cheerfully, pulling his shorts on all the way. "What brings you over here?" Lovino glanced nervously at him, hesitating.

"I…" he started. "I…just wanted…to, you know, see if you were…okay. It was probably really embarrassing or some shit to have everyone staring at your ass and all."

Antonio stared at Lovino, not getting what he was saying. "Oh? When were they staring?" Lovino looked at him, flabbergasted.

"Wh-you—how could you not notice?" he demanded. Antonio shrugged.

"Well, I guess I just didn't. When was this?"

"When we were getting fucking yelled at by my grandpa, that's when!" Lovino started pacing around, something Antonio noticed that he did when he was really excited or agitated about something. "Are you telling me you didn't notice, like, twenty pairs of eyes on your ass?" Antonio was pretty sure there weren't actually twenty people there, but what did he know. A camper or two could have been spying on them for all he knew. They probably were, too. The sadistic little brats were really enjoying the prank battle between the counselors, and a few were even taking sides. Francis said that they were siding with whoever they thought was cuter. Thinking about all those people staring at his butt was rather…embarrassing. Antonio flushed, starting to twitch his arm. He didn't mind if Lovino saw it, since that was pretty much Antonio's strongest card to play to get the Italian to go out with him; he didn't even mind if Feliciano, or Gilbert or Francis saw his butt. The last two were closer to him than he was with his own family. But all those other people? They had no business looking there!

"Uh…um…" Antonio flustered about, moving some of his things around to try and maintain his composure. How embarrassing! Especially around Lovino! What did his cute little tomato think of him now? Like he was some cheap bastard who would show his ass to anyone and everyone? That wasn't him! What was he supposed to say now?

Lovino snorted, walking over to Antonio. He grabbed his hands to keep the older Spaniard boy from fidgeting around more. He had a wry smile on his face, amusement glittering in his hazel-tinted honey colored eyes. "It's okay if you figure it out now," he said. "You have shorts on." Lovino glanced appreciatively at Antonio's rear end. That was about the time that Antonio's brain decided to break. What was Lovino doing? Antonio could only watch as Lovino smirked up at him, lifting a hand close to his face. Antonio was pretty sure that he had stopped breathing when Lovino started rubbing the side of his face. He started breathing again when Lovino continued talking. "Earlier, I was confused when everyone started staring at you like that," he confessed. Antonio gulped, feeling his throat become suddenly dry.

"O-oh?" In normal circumstances he would have internally berated himself for stuttering like that in front of Lovino. Now, however, that would take up too much of his concentration away from watching him. The Italian nodded, looking mockingly serious.

"It's true. I was so angry for some reason. I was angry at all of them, I was angry at Feliciano, I was angry at my grandpa (and a little weirded out), but most of all I was extremely angry at you. Almost like everything was all your fault or something."

Antonio wasn't sure how he could focus enough to chuckle uneasily, especially with Lovino acting so sexy right now. He thought he deserved a medal or something. "W-well, things are usually my fault, right?" Lovino nodded thoughtfully, but there was a strange gleam in his eye.

"Usually, yes. Yes, they are your fault," he said. Antonio deflated a little. He couldn't catch a break with this guy, could he? "But this time, I figured it out."

"Figured what out, Lovi?" Antonio asked. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to know, but he had a feeling that he should ask anyway. Lovino tilted his head slightly, smirk still in place. Antonio was struck by just how _sexy_ he was. Cute couldn't even describe him right now, something Antonio didn't think was possible.

"I figured out that it was my fault, since they all thought that they still had a fair chance at you."

"What do you-?" was all Antonio could get out before he was silenced by a kiss.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Eleven; Next up—We're off to the fair!<em>


	12. Life 12 Are You Going To The Fair?

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 12; Are You Going To The Fair?  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Princess!Fem!Antonio x Daring Adventurer!Lovino; Princess Anita waits for her Lovino to return to her.  
><em>_Rating__: …Can it be? Is it really possible? Did I really write something that's rated K? Or K+? Be still my beating heart~ (but, you know, not literally. That would be bad…) **Edit: Curses; I found a swearword. Make it the rating T, while I go off and cry in a corner somewhere TTwTT  
><strong>__Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Fem!Antonio (this apparently counts. I don't know, ask my sister…), my bad writing skills, the fact that I think I went a little OOC in the middle there, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Anita (Fem!Spain), Lovino, Toris, mentions of Francis and Jeanne D'Arc(Joan of Arc).  
><em>_Pairings__: Lovino/Anita, Francis/Jeanne (I love this pairing more than you could ever know~).  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,828.  
><em>_Notes__: So, my sister doesn't like Fem!Spain for some reason. I really, really don't get it. I think she just doesn't like to Fem! any seme characters. The only reason I say this is because usually my sister reads the chapters over and tells me if she likes it or not. Nothing changes, though, but I still feel a little uncertain about this since it's my first time writing Fem!Spain. Also, the bit about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme at the end is part of the Scarborough Fair song (don't own). Pretty much, from what I understand at least, they're supposed to lure a lover to you. I took that to mean that it's also a way to keep a lover._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Are you going to Scarborough Fair?<strong>_

Princess Anita oversaw the preparations of the annual local fair, as she did every year. As the heir to the throne, the _only_ heir, she had a lot of responsibilities. This, however, by far was the worst job that she had to see to. It wasn't that the preparations were hard or anything. In fact, usually Anita loved this job more than anything. It wasn't even that Anita lived on the other side of the mountain pass so travel was hard to traverse. No, it wasn't the actual preparations or travel that was the bad part. It was the fair itself. Normally when Princess Anita told someone this, they would think that it was because it was full of rowdy fairgoers or criminals and thugs that would ruin the atmosphere for everyone. This wasn't the case, either. Despite some of her kingdom's best warriors and adventurers not being in the kingdom and instead out fighting a war on her behalf, along with finding treasure for the glory of her crown, the fair was the one source of joy left in Anita's kingdom. At least, that's how it felt at first. Now it was just an empty, hollow reminder of what once was. The thing that made Anita feel so bitter about the ever popular fair were the memories.

The memories of him.

_**Remember me to one who lives there**_

Anita was pulled out of her musings when one of her squires hurried over to her. Anita smiled winningly, the only smile she knew like the back of her hand. It was her default smile, but it never felt false. "Yes Toris? Do you have any news?" He knew what she wanted to hear. But judging by the look on his face, he didn't have the news she wanted.

"Sorry, you're highness," he apologized, twittling his fingers nervously. "The Fourth through Seventh Companies are still out in the field. It looks to be a brutal war, but we're winning, you're highness!" Anita brought a smile forward, knowing that she should be grateful for the way things were turning out. So many were risking their lives for her sake, she had no right to belittle their sacrifices. It still didn't help the clenching in her heart, though. Toris continued, knowing that his princess wanted at least other news. "The rest of the forces are still moving around the countryside. We haven't been able to get in touch with most, since communication has been tricky, but we have no reason to believe that anything has happened to any of them." Anita sighed lightly, expecting as much. Smiling again, but a little sadder, Princess Anita dismissed the page to help with more of the preparations. Anita allowed herself a happier, secret smile. Princess Anita had been a patron of the fair ever since that one memorable summer when she had first attended. Anita sat in her chair underneath the shade of a tree, specially prepared for her, and allowed herself to be carried off into the throws of memory bliss.

* * *

><p><em>Francis had told her often about the fun he had when he visited the county side. Specifically, he told her often about how he met the (current) love of his life at the local fair. The way he talked about the event, Anita thought that it must have been something magical. True, her half-brother had a way of exaggerating the truth but he seemed too happy to have made this up. So, Anita decided that she should attend this special fair. It was her duty as the only legitimate heir, since Francis was born to another woman and not interested in the throne, to journey around her future kingdom to survey the area.<em>

_When Princess Anita first got there, the fair had only just begun. Her first impression was that it wasn't much. There were bigger celebrations held annually at the capital after all. She had been about to turn to Francis when she saw that he wasn't at her side anymore. Anita had a brief moment of panic until she saw his blond hair through the crowd. She smiled in relief. She had been afraid that she would have been lost in the fair. She was just about to make her way over to his side when she noticed that he wasn't alone. Standing with him was a beautiful woman with short, blonde hair. She held herself with a natural elegance that very few could achieve. Anita paused, not sure what to think. She really was very lovely. Anita smiled softly, walking in the other direction. If she made Francis happy, then that was all Anita could hope for as his sister. She couldn't keep him to herself forever._

_She had been looking at some funny looking ornaments as she walked when she bumped into someone. Luckily neither fell to the ground, but Anita still felt very embarrassed. Francis was always telling her to pay more attention to her surroundings. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to start, Anita noticed that the man she had bumped into was cursing up a storm. Anita's ears burned from the vulgarity of the things that came out of his mouth. He was brushing himself off, insult on his lips, when he looked up into the startled eyes of his princess. The man flushed, apologizing quickly._

"_No, please don't," Anita begged of him. "I was the one at fault; I should have been paying more attention instead of wandering around aimlessly." The man blinked slowly, face still red, and thrust out his hand for a handshake._

"_I-I was also at fault, dammit," he said, looking to the side. "I should have been watching where I was going. Some 'great adventurer' I turned out to be, huh?" Anita stared, suddenly excited. All thoughts of what had just happened rushing out of mind._

"_You're an adventurer?" she exclaimed, leaning in closer to get a better look. The man looked at her nervously, shrugging a little._

"_I guess?" he…asked? back. "I just became one last week, so I don't know if it really counts yet…"_

"_Oh, of course it does!" Anita assured him. The man seemed to notice that they were drawing stares and hurried to bring her over to the side where chairs and benches had been set up for chatting. "I've always wanted to meet one. I'm afraid I've never actually been able to meet anyone yet."_

_The man puffed himself up. "Well, I may not be much of an adventurer __**now**__, but I'm definitely going to be one of your best, your highness." Anita wrinkled her nose. She hated it whenever formality snuck into a conversation, especially when she was have a nice chat with someone that wasn't about business or anything like it. To Anita, the topic of the adventurers that her kingdom employs isn't business; it's exciting drama that fills her up with joy, passion and a sense of purpose. There was no room here for such formality._

"_Please, call me Anita," she insisted. "You're one of my adventurers. There shouldn't be any formalities or proper decorum between us. What is your name, if I might know?" A light blush settled on the man's face. Anita could feel herself becoming more and more attached to this man by the minute._

"_Lovino. Lovino Vargas," he said to her. "You…might have heard of my family. We grow and raise most of the fruits and vegetables that are sent to the palace."_

"_Including tomatoes?" Anita inquired curiously. Lovino smirked._

"_**Especially**__ tomatoes."_

_**He once was a true love of mine**_

* * *

><p>Anita smiled bitterly at the memory. Lovino was special to her. He had been ever since they met. But he had kept his promise to her; specifically, he had become one of the best adventurers her kingdom had ever seen. He said that it was because he wanted to be able to do all these things for her. He wanted to bring back all sorts of pretty treasures for her, he wanted to discover new lands in her name, he wanted to do all of this for her. She had asked him once why he did so much. Lovino had looked at her as if she had been joking.<p>

"_Because I love you, remember?"_

Anita's heart clenched. Oh yes, the two were lovers. Nobody of great importance minded, either. After all, he was the kingdom's best adventurer. That was almost as good as being a top-honored knight of the realm. But, in exchange for that Lovino had to go off all the time.

When he first started out, Lovino would only leave for a few days at a time. They still had plenty of time together, and they enjoyed it to its fullest. But eventually, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Anita was afraid that next time, he would be gone for several years without being able to see her. But despite all of that, there was still one constant in their lives together—they would always meet at the fair. In the past, it didn't matter where or how far away Lovino ended up traveling. He would always make it for the week of the fair.

But this time, Anita was afraid that he wouldn't be able to. Lovino sometimes didn't feel that he deserved Anita. She would tell him that that was wrong, that she loved him deeply; that that should have been enough. But Lovino was stubborn. Even if Anita showered her love on him, or perhaps because of, Lovino would still feel that he wasn't good enough. Last that she had seen him, Lovino was getting ready to set out on a journey of impossible odds to find impossible things for her. She told him not to go, but Lovino had been resolved. That in itself was something that Anita was in awe to see. Despite all of his tough-talking, Lovino was still the type to get easily discouraged. It meant a lot that he was resolved to go out, even after Anita begged him not to. After seeing his determination, how could she condemn his journey? She had watched him leave with tears in her eyes and had waited patiently at home.

But then the war broke out. It was between her kingdom and the neighboring one. They had been interested in Anita marrying into their royal family so that they could join kingdoms. Anita, with a heart that beat only for Lovino, had of course refused. The other kingdom had declared war, wanting a union between kingdoms one way or another. With the way things looked, if her kingdom lost then Anita would be forced to marry the eldest son while Francis would either be killed or put in place as a puppet figurehead. Neither liked these options, so with a heavy heart Anita had answered the call to war. Things were looking good for them now, and most likely the fighting would be finished by the coming winter months.

Lovino, in the meantime, was still somewhere out in the countryside lost.

To be fair, Anita supposed that he wasn't really lost. There just hadn't been any contact between the group he was in, or a few other groups, and the capital in a long time. It didn't mean that he was never coming back. He…probably just had other things on his mind, like finding his treasure. Princess Anita wasn't sad. She couldn't be, not when he and many others were out there for her sake. No, Anita wasn't sad at all.

She was rather lonely, however.

Anita felt a tear slip down her cheek. Ashamed and deeply embarrassed, she hurriedly wiped it away. She hoped nobody around had seen their leader show this momentary lapse of weakness. They didn't need this right now. They were in the middle of a war, even if the fighting was a far ways off. As the princess, and part of the reason for the fighting, she was supposed to be strong for her people.

But how could she be strong when on the inside she felt like she was crumbling into nothing? And all this because of some man who was off on daring adventures, probably not even thinking of her at all. What was she? Just some woman, when all was said and done. Oh, yes, she was a princess. But that meant nothing. With the way that Lovino was becoming famous more and more every day, he could have any princess anywhere. He probably didn't even want a princess, truth be told. Lovino wasn't the type to go for anything super flashy, after all. He was the down-to-earth type.

He…he probably wanted someone simple, like a farmer's wife-type of woman. Anita couldn't compare with that. She had never grown anything, which was even worse since the thing that really made the two connect was his homegrown tomatoes.

Anita might have sat there, in the dark (when had that happened?) feeling sorry for herself for a long time if it weren't for the feeling of rough, callused hands touching her face gently. Jumping back, having not expected the touch, Anita was surprised to see the very man she had been thinking about standing at her side.

"Hey," Lovino said, voice sounding slightly rougher and deeper than before. "What are you doing sitting out here all by yourself in the dark? Don't you know how stupid that is?"

Anita's answer was to latch herself around her lover, not daring to let him go out of fear of him leaving again. Lovino stumbled back, face red in the dying light. He looked to the side awkwardly, patting Anita on the back comfortingly.

"C-come on, you knew I'd be back…"

Anita shook her head, sniffing a little. She wouldn't loosen her grip until she felt Lovino's arms wrap completely around her.

"I didn't hear anything from you," she whispered. "I asked Toris every day for news, but you and your company disappeared."

"You know that happens sometimes," Lovino tried to reason. Anita shrugged, feeling a goofy smile appear on her watery face.

"Yeah, but the last I heard you were several weeks away from here," she protested. She finally couldn't take it anymore and looked straight into Lovino's eyes. She had startled him, she saw. She thought it was funny, since Lovino was supposed to be the 'big, brave, daring adventurer', but he let a princess like Anita surprise him. She kissed him thoroughly, letting him know how much she had missed him during his adventures. Lovino was hesitant at first but responded just as eagerly soon enough.

* * *

><p>Anita and Lovino walked hand in hand down the main street of the fair. They weren't the only lovers to do so, but they were the only ones that mattered in their world. Anita felt herself blossom with Lovino by her side, smiling everywhere and anywhere. Mostly at Lovino, since she had decided long ago that her smiles were just for him. Plus, he had been away for a long time. She had some catching up to do~.<p>

As they walked, Lovino told her about her travels. His company had met up with some of the soldiers from the other kingdom, but they had managed to fight them off and escape. Anita felt like giggling, which she did, when Lovino growled and tightened his hold on her hand. He had heard about why they were at war, apparently. Anita leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, smiling when he looked away, embarrassed. She didn't see why, though.

After all, she loved him.

After meeting the soldiers, Lovino said, they had continued on to a cave system that some of the locals they had encountered told them about. Anita frowned, trying to remember what it was that he had even been looking for in the first place. Something about a shirt without a seam or needlework or something? And a dry well to wash it in? And an acre of land, Anita remembered that part. She shook her head. All of this questing business was just something she wasn't very interested in. It took Lovino away from her, so she didn't have a very high opinion of it.

Anita noticed that they had stopped walking. Before she could say anything, she was handed a small bouquet of something leafy. It looked like a bunch of weeds, but they smelled wonderful. Smiling softly, Anita accepted them with a quizzical look. Lovino was blushing again, not looking her in the eye.

_**Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme**_

"Thank you, Lovi," she said, reverting back to the nickname that she called him when they were alone. Well, they were still in the middle of the fair, but for all intents and purposes, they were alone. "But, what is this for?"

"Stupid," he said to her. He was the princess's lover; he was allowed to get away with such informality. "You know what they are, right?"

Anita took a closer look. "Well…they look like…herbs?" she guessed. Lovino flushed again, looking redder than usual. And that was saying something.

"Yes, they're herbs," he consented. "But do you know what they mean? All together like this?"

Anita felt confused, looking at her bouquet again. "I might if you tell me what kind they are."

Lovino sighed, looking frustrated with his princess. Oh, how Anita had missed how huffy he could get. She always liked getting into arguments and discussions with him, since he never cared if he contradicted her or not. It was rare to find anyone, other than Francis, who would do that with her. "This one," he said, pointing to a particular bunch in the bouquet, "is sage. This one is parsley, and this one is thyme."

"What's this one here?" Anita asked curiously, pointing to the bunch that smelled the sweetest. It almost smelled like flowers to her. Lovino looked at her from under his eyelashes.

"Rosemary," he said, looking at her as if he expected something from her. Anita tilted her head to the side. All she could think at the moment was how cute Lovino looked right now, with his lips slightly puckered up from almost pouting, his beautiful hazel-tinted brown eyes staring at her through his long eyelashes. And he was expecting her to try and remember her lesson on flower and herb meanings? Did he not realize that he had been gone for almost a year? Like Anita was really going to be focusing on anything else.

"Sorry, Lovi, I still don't get it," she said, swinging her hand that was still in his back and forth. Lovino groaned, leading her away to another part of the festival.

"Just forget it!" he snapped. "Ask your stupid love-obsessed freak of a brother later!"

Anita did just that, when Lovino had left to go adventuring again. Francis had an amused look on his face when she asked, but he told her anyway. Anita blushed, looking out into the distance to where somewhere Lovino was.

"Oh, Lovi…"

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter 12—Next up; Hey, was your father a baker? Because he made some nice buns! *shot'd*!<em>


	13. Life 13 Hey, Baby

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 13; Hey, Baby…  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Bad Pick-Up Lines!Antonio x Lovino. Antonio sees Lovino one day and wants to ask him out. Too bad he has bad advisors helping him…  
><em>_Rating__: T for language. And pick-up lines.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, REALLY bad pick-up lines, my bad writing skills, more slight hints of love triangles (pentagons…), etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Francis, Julchen/Julia (Fem!Prussia), Lovino, Feliciano, Ludwig, mentions of other characters like Alfred, Matthew, Arthur, Roderich, Elizabeta, Sadik, Lars, Emma, Eduard (Estonia) and Ari (Iceland),Matthias, Lukas (Norway) and Greece's mom (who's got it going on)…  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Feliciano/Ludwig, Julchen/Elizabeta(?), Julchen/Roderich(?), Julchen/Matthew, Eduard/Ari.  
><em>_Word Count__: 6,762.  
><em>_Notes__: This was _**WAY**_ longer than I had expected it to be. I was actually thinking of just writing a cute, humorous short chapter of Antonio telling Lovino bad pick-up lines. Then it got to be longer. And I started thinking 'this isn't believable…'. And it got to be longer still. Argh, curse my inconsistencies! Curse them I say! Also, there's Estonia/Iceland in here because one of my friends IRL has recently started liking this pairing; unfortunately, she can't find it anywhere. So, I promised her that I would include it in one of these stories. I don't even know if she reads it (probably not), but I still thought that it would be nice to have this for her._

_On another note, one of these 'methods' was actually used on my sister-the one where someone pretends to know you by calling you another name. My sister encountered these guys again, and they were up to the same tricks with another girl...but they were using a different name. I suggested that my sis say that her name was the first name they used, but it was already after the fact. Ah, well._

* * *

><p>As soon as Antonio laid eyes on Lovino Vargas, he knew he was smitten. He wanted to go over to where Lovino was busy cursing out some poor student employee for making his order too slow for his tastes, but his friends held him back. Literally. Julchen had to push against Antonio's chest to make him sit down at one of the tables that were littered around the campus cafeteriarestaurant/plaza place. Francis sat down next to him, shaking his head.

"Don't you know who that is?" Julchen asked, pointing to Lovino. Antonio didn't know that that was his name at the time, so he shook his head no. He was trying to crane his neck to see around Julia, but she just kept getting in the way… Julchen placed both of her hands on either side of Antonio's head and forcibly turned it so that the Spanish boy had no choice but to look her straight in the eye. "That's _Lovino Vargas_! He's the brother of the guy Ludwig's dating now. You know, the one I'm always talking about? The one that's trying to find new and more interesting ways to both break up his brother and mine and also maybe _kill_ Ludwig?" Antonio looked at Julia in surprise. Was Lovino really doing something like that? The expression on Julia's face wavered under Antonio's intense gaze. Finally she let go of Antonio's face and looked away. "Okay, so he's not actually trying to kill West. It still feels like it sometimes, though."

Antonio sighed in relief, checking over by the counter. He was glad that Lovino wasn't a cold-blooded killer. Lovino by now had finally gotten his order and was slowly walking towards where Antonio and his friends were. Antonio felt himself get more and more excited. He was just about to stand up to go and introduce himself when Lovino froze where he stood. Antonio frowned when he saw that the Italian was looking at something over Antonio's shoulder. Looking back, Antonio noticed that he was looking at Julchen. Lovino unfroze and walked quickly in the opposite direction. Antonio pouted.

"Julchen, how come Lovino went away when he saw you?" Julia shrugged, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.

"I don't think he likes me. Feeling's mutual, actually." Julia saw that Antonio wasn't paying attention to her anymore and sighed. "Fine then. If you don't want my Awesome Advice™, then I'm staying out of this one. I have to go spy on West and Feli and you're not listening to me anymore, are you?"

It wasn't that Antonio didn't want to listen to one of his best friends, it was just that…well, Julchen wasn't really the right person to turn to right now. Well, sure, she obviously knew Lovino but it didn't seem like they were on very good terms. Antonio wanted to get to know the other boy better, and he had a feeling that asking someone he wasn't friendly with was a bad idea. Besides, Julia wasn't really that great with matters of love anyway. Wasn't she currently in a love triangle at the moment with that one Austrian guy and that Hungarian girl? Antonio wasn't sure which she liked, but he knew that the three caused a lot of trouble around campus because of their 'fighting'. Also, didn't she also like that Canadian guy? He couldn't remember his name; just that Julchen really, really, really liked his pancakes and thought that he was the most adorable thing since Gilbird. And that was saying something. So, yeah, Julia Beilschmidt wasn't the right person to ask when it came to matters like this.

Looking back at his surprisingly quiet French friend, Antonio raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Where did Julchen go?"

Francis smiled blithely, shaking his head. "She left while you were still staring at Lovino's ass. I think she said something about 'tracking down that Austrian-bastard and that Hungarian-bitch and settling things once and for all'. Personally, I hope they finally get into a threesome. Those three have _such_ issues."

"And you don't want her with your cousin."

"And I don't want her with my cousin."

Antonio nodded, knowing why Francis felt this way. It had been a long time since Francis had last seen his Canadian cousin or his brother, and Francis wanted to fill in the role he felt he should have had all along. His efforts so far were pretty much unappreciated, if Antonio understood right. It was strange, Francis knew a lot about love but he didn't really understand the first thing about families.

…Wait.

"Francis!" Antonio suddenly turned to his friend, making Francis jump back a little in his seat. He clearly had not been expecting that at all.

"W-what?"

"You know all about love," Antonio stated. Francis stared at him, nodding slightly as if he expected his friend to say more.

"Yes, and?" he finally asked when it looked like Antonio just wasn't getting the invitation. Antonio smiled.

"So, you know what I can do to make Lovino notice me! And maybe agree to go out with me!"

Francis smirked tiredly. He shook his head again, this time to himself it seemed. "Alright. Since you obviously need my expertise I'll be more than glad to help you out. After all, it's what friends do right? We help out our not-quite-as-smart-but-still-good-looking friends when they need advice from those that know better, no?"

"You know a lot about love, but you're really bad when it comes to friends. Maybe you should work on that before you try to make your cousins like you again."

"Silence, you. Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Here's what you'll need to do…"

* * *

><p>Pick-up lines. It was so obvious, Antonio felt like smacking himself in the face for not thinking of it sooner. He wanted to, in a sense, '<em>pick up<em>' Lovino, right? And ask him out on a date? Well, then obviously what Antonio needed to do was use _pick-up lines_ on Lovino! It was brilliant! It was genius! He could have kissed Francis for giving him the idea! Francis actually did suggest that Antonio do just that, but he had laughed and waved Francis' suggestion off. Then he stomped on his foot. Hard. See, this was the reason why Alfred and…Mat…Math…Math? No, it was…Mark? Yeah, that must be it, it was why Alfred and Mark didn't want to associate with Francis anymore. Well, Alfred was busy studying to become an astronaut or something, and he had never been that close to Francis even before. It was still strange, though, that Mark didn't want anything to do with Antonio's French friend. Then again, it could have been because Arthur was involved, but Antonio didn't really care at the moment, which was unusual for him. Usually he would have been right there to help Francis fight against Arthur, but Antonio had better fish to fry.

First, he had to find Lovino!

…Okay, first he had to find out some really good pick-up lines, and then he had to find Lovino!

When Antonio had asked Francis, who was rubbing his injured foot, if he had any good ideas for some pick-up lines to use on Lovino Francis had grinned. And narrowed his eyes as he grinned, but he grinned nonetheless. Antonio was glad that he had such good friends.

The next day, Antonio had tried to convince Julia into telling him Lovino's schedule but she adamantly refused. Fixing the bag of ice over her blackened eye, Julia told him straight to his face "I'm keeping out of this one."

"Oh come on," Antonio had tried to reason with her. "Look, all you have to do is tell me his schedule; look, Francis already gave me some pick-up lines to use so you don't even have to help me with that! Couldn't you just tell me at least if we have some free time at the same time or something?"

Ludwig, her brother, called from inside the apartment somewhere. Julchen rolled her only revealing eye and shouted back into the room, saying "It's Antonio! He wants help picking up that Lovino guy who keeps trying to make your head explode with his eyes." Ludwig wandered past the door, barely sparing a glance at Antonio. Ludwig sighed.

"Just make him figure it out on his own."

"That's what I was planning to do, West." Then she slammed the door in his face. Well, obviously that route was out. Antonio would just have to start the old-fashioned way—stalking!

…except it was harder than Antonio had thought it would be. Perhaps stalking would have worked out better if he had already known at least where Lovino would _be_, for one. As it was, he barely knew where to start. Barely. He still had an idea or two left up his sleeve.

Antonio sat on a low stone wall in one of the main courtyards on campus, watching as everyone passed by. He once saw Francis calling after a fast-walking student, saying "Wait, Matthew! Come back, I'll tell _rosbif_—no, Arthur that I'm sorry! Please talk to me?" Matthew, that was the kid's name! Antonio watched as a few other students passed by, like that one tall guy with the scarf who seemed to have sister trouble if his conversation with the blonde girl next to him was anything to go by. Antonio waited a few more minutes until he saw a head of auburn hair float (no, not literally) through the crowd. He smiled. Getting up, he pushed his way through the crowd until he was almost on top of the auburn head of hair. He placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder, startling him a little.

"Hi," Antonio said brightly. Antonio could definitely see the family resemblance. This had to be Feliciano, the one who was dating Julchen's brother Ludwig—Lovino's brother. "Um, I know this sounds weird, especially since you don't know me, but I'm friends with Julchen—Julia. Ludwig's sister?"

Feliciano smiled, adjusting his book bag on his shoulder. "Ve, I think she's mentioned you a few times before. She's always talking about her two best friends that she gets into trouble with, Francis and Antonio?"

"That's me!" Antonio said happily. At least this wasn't turning out too weird. He was so sure that he would have looked like some creeper if he had tried this with anyone other than the obviously good-natured Italian. "Listen, I happened to—well, not meet, but see your brother the other day…"

Feliciano's eyes grew wide. "Oh, ve, he didn't do anything did he? I know Lovi has a temper, but he's really a good person! Deep down…"

"No, no, he didn't do anything," Antonio said. And technically, he hadn't. Sure, Lovino had maybe made that one server cry in the end, but it's not like he actually punched him nor did anything else like that. Antonio didn't know why, but Lovino seemed like such an interesting guy. Weird, since Antonio hadn't even met him yet. The most that Antonio knew of him was just what Julchen would say when she would complain about him. Antonio thought that he had character, judging by what his friend said and by what he saw. Plus, he was Italian. Antonio had always had a (not so secret) thing for Italians. "I was just wondering if you could introduce us?" Feliciano said yes surprisingly quickly. Antonio shrugged to himself. Feliciano probably just wanted someone to distract his brother so he could continue seeing Ludwig in peace.

* * *

><p>When Antonio finally met Lovino, they were at one of the libraries on campus. Feliciano had needed to drop off a book, and he figured that it was the best place for the two to meet. Antonio mentally went over all the lines that Francis had taught him, hoping that at least one of them would work. When Lovino walked through the doors with his brother, Antonio felt his breath catch in his chest. <em>Dios<em>, did Lovino look good. He was looking more handsome, and wonderful, and, and…just all in all _cute_ with that pout on his face. He was glaring around at everyone, including Antonio, but all Antonio could focus on was how ridiculously adorable and cute the Italian was looking. He was sure that there was a goofy smile on his face right now.

Feliciano left the two to get to know each other better while he went off to return his copy of the textbook he had to use for a project in his art history class. After he left, Antonio and Lovino looked each other over, gauging the others responses. At least, that was what Antonio was doing. Lovino looked like he was trying to figure out why the hell he was even there in the first place. Finally the silence seemed to get to him.

"So? My brother said you wanted to meet me?" Antonio nodded.

"I'm Antonio, in case Feli didn't tell you," he said, feeling the need to introduce himself. Lovino's eye twitched. "Yeah, I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? What?" Was Antonio just hoping, or did it really sound like Lovino was curious? Well, this was Antonio's big moment. He couldn't mess this up.

"Where have you been all my life?"

"Hiding from you," Lovino replied, turning on his heel and leaving. Apparently Antonio _could_ mess this up.

"Wait, Howard! Come back!" Antonio knew that wasn't his name of course, but it had been one of Francis' suggestions to walk up to the other person and pretend that you knew them by calling them a different name. Usually then you would have the person's real name.

"My name's Lovino, bastard!"

He was staring out the door that Lovino had just left through when Feliciano came skipping back.

"Well? How did it go?"

* * *

><p>Antonio was determined to get Lovino to go out with him, if only to give him a chance. It was probably the slightly masochistic side of him, the one that egged him on to make Arthur's life a living hell whenever he could, that didn't let him give up. That would be too easy. Besides, the rejection just made Antonio want to get to know Lovino better. After consulting with Feliciano, who seemed to be enjoying himself more than Antonio really thought was necessary, he now had the stubborn Italian's schedule. Now the stalking could really begin!<p>

…Antonio realized that he should really keep his thoughts private. He was starting to get weird stares. Ignoring them, Antonio scanned the hallway of the main classroom building looking for his target. From what he had memorized of Lovino's schedule, he should be getting out of his history class with Professor Adnan by now. And no, Antonio didn't think it was creepy at all that he knew this. If anything, Feliciano was the one to blame for telling him this much. Yeah.

"Hey Lovino, wait up!" Antonio called, hurrying across the crowded hallway. Lovino looked back when he heard his name and stared at Antonio in surprise. Antonio smiled at him when he reached the other man, walking easily next to him. "Where are you headed next?" Art, with Mrs. Karpusi.

Lovino didn't answer him, however. He stared at Antonio, puzzled. "How did you—_what_ are you doing here?"

Antonio pouted. "I just happened to be here" –after looking up your schedule- "and happened to see you. Is it so wrong to want to come over and talk to you?"

"That's a lot of 'happened'," Lovino noted dryly, keeping his eyes in front of him. "You still haven't answered my question either, bastard."

"Ouch, that hurts," Antonio said, playfully bringing a hand to hover over his chest. "I just wanted to get to know you better, that's all."

"Really?" Lovino looked over at him again.

"Yeah," Antonio nodded along, glad that things were going so well this time. "Yeah, like what's your sign?"

"Do not enter," Lovino said in a deadpan voice. He pushed his way through the crowd and away from Antonio. Antonio stopped, staring after him. Huh. That could have gone better. Antonio frowned. Francis had said that this one would work, too! He sighed. Back to square one…again.

* * *

><p>Antonio tried several times after that to talk to Lovino. Each and every time he asked Lovino out, he would get rejected. It was actually starting to take a toll on his ego. Francis seemed like he was ashamed of something whenever Antonio brought up his disastrous attempts. Antonio didn't think much of it, though. Apparently Arthur had declared custody over Francis' cousins recently, so he was pretty sure that he was just worried about that. Francis only got visitation rights on the weekend, apparently. Julia was still steadfastly 'keeping out of this one'.<p>

Of course, it hadn't been all bad. In between getting Lovino to agree to talk to him and trying to ask him out, Antonio started learning more and more about Lovino. He had a feeling that Lovino may have been learning more about Antonio, too. Of course, he could never come out and say it, but Antonio had a feeling. Right now, for example, Antonio was hanging out with Lovino in the library while Lovino looked up serial murder cases for one of his history classes.

"Why do you need to look up creepy things like that?" Antonio asked, leaning over Lovino's shoulder as he flipped through various reference books. Lovino scowled, flipping past an old newspaper article about a group called Broad Itch-Out (stupid name; something about 'itching out your life'?) that would stalk and torment their victims before killing them; they were only disbanded because one ended up killing the others. Antonio felt a shiver run down his spine—they weren't even close to finished looking up this stuff. They (well, Lovino) still had to look through the rest of the reference book, each part filled with more details just like that. What a morbid class.

"We're supposed to be looking up references for practice," Lovino said dryly. "I'm actually supposed to be looking for Jack the Ripper, but I was wondering if there was anything else that was interesting. Now, I only feel nauseous."

"Hmm," Antonio said noncommittally. He glanced at an open chair next to Lovino. "Is this seat empty?"

"Yes, and this one will be if you sit down," Lovino quipped back, not looking away from his reference books. Antonio blinked at him.

"Huh?" Lovino looked over and shook his head.

"Just sit down already, bastard." Antonio still felt a little confused, but sat down nonetheless. Antonio sat in silence while Lovino worked. It was fun watching the Italian try to read heavy things like that; Lovino liked to act tough, like what he was reading didn't really matter to him, but he would flinch or cringe every now and then. Antonio drank in all of the other man's expressions and emotions, feeling a strange sense of peace. Lovino really was beautiful to look at. Soon, Lovino caught Antonio staring. "What?"

Antonio smiled. "I was just wondering when you would be finished, Lovi."

"That eager to get out of here?" Lovino asked dryly. He wanted to leave soon too, but he had to stay. There was nothing stopping Antonio from leaving, though. Antonio's smile widened.

"Yeah; your place or mine?" he asked flirtatiously. Lovino snorted, used to the other's games by now.

"Both," he answered. Antonio raised an eyebrow. "You go to your place, and I'll go to mine." Oh. Well that wasn't nearly as fun.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you Lovi?" he asked wonderingly. It amazed him how quick the other was about thinking up comebacks. If it weren't for the fact that he was getting rejected each time, Antonio would have been impressed. Instead, he felt a mild annoyance that crept up every now and then when Antonio was alone at night. The annoyance only served to spurn on Antonio's advances, which led to him getting rejected more and more. He was starting to think that he was stuck in a cycle or repeating the same thing over and over. Watching as Lovino brushed some stray hair out of his eyes, the lights of the library shining down on him _just so_, Antonio knew it was worth it.

Maybe what his problem was, was that Lovino just didn't take him seriously anymore. Antonio wasn't sure if he took himself seriously anymore, either. He had been asking Lovino out for a while now, but nothing had come of it yet. Oh sure, Antonio knew the Italian better now than he did before, but that only made him like Lovino even more. When he had run out of lines from Francis, Antonio went searching for more that he could use. He was just stubborn that way, he supposed. Francis tried a few times to get Antonio to stop with the pick-up lines, but Antonio had just asked him back 'wasn't it your idea, though?' Francis grew strangely silent at that, and Antonio had gone on his way.

Thinking back, maybe Antonio just wasn't asking the right way. He needed to show that he was completely serious about asking Lovino out; instead, it just seemed like a game that they were playing now. He needed to be serious; he had to ask serious questions now, he needed to let Lovino know that he was completely serious!

The next day Antonio and Lovino were hanging out with each other again over in the student center of their university. They were in a commons-type area where there were a few games set up, a billiard table and a bar (that didn't serve alcohol, regrettably), watching as their mutual friends made fools of themselves over the billiard table. Antonio glanced at Lovino out of the corner of his eye. He needed to act casual; he didn't want to scare Lovino away.

"So, Lovino," Antonio broached, hoping he sounded more casual than he felt.

"So, bastard," Lovino fired back, but the bite was missing. Antonio hoped that was a good sign.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a male impersonator." Antonio was silent for a beat, sitting straighter in his chair. He knew he probably looked like an owl with how wide his eyes went.

"…really?" he asked. Lovino looked at him and sighed.

"No; you're not really giving me any good material to work with." Antonio sighed in relief. He didn't have anything against girls, his own mother was one. It was just that…well; he wasn't really attracted to them. It was more than a relief to know that Lovino was 100% male. Still, time for a new tactic.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't paying attention and got lost in your beautiful eyes," Antonio said suavely, winking at the Italian. Lovino started to get a little flustered for some reason.

"Then turn around and go away," he said, huffing and crossing his arms. Antonio wasn't going to be deterred so easily.

"Your eyes really are amazing," he said simply, leaning closer to Lovino. Lovino blushed, looking away.

"Seeing your back would be pretty amazing," he muttered just loud enough for Antonio to hear. He chanced a look back and saw that Antonio was confused, again, over his comeback. "As in, you walking away? From me? So that I can only see your back?"

Antonio felt himself deflate. This was hopeless, it seemed. He startled when he heard Julchen's laughter float over to them.

"Don't worry, Toni," she cackled, leaning against her billiard cube. "He means that it'll be amazing to see DAT ASS of yours, kesesesese!"

Antonio blinked, staring at Lovino for confirmation. Lovino's face was flushed crimson red, and he was determinedly looking anywhere but at Antonio. Stuttering, he made some sort of protest before running out. Antonio felt himself start to smile. Looks like he had a chance after all!

* * *

><p>Antonio had a new plan. Since Lovino seemed to like it whenever he complemented him, even if it was by a pick-up line, Antonio decided that he would just have to step up his game. Francis seemed strangely eager to help Antonio with this part; it looked like Matthew had finally started talking to the Parisian without Francis having to say something first, so he was in an extremely good mood. Unfortunately for their female friend, this meant that Julchen had a harder time hanging out with Matthew now, since Francis was stepping up his over-protectiveness.<p>

Antonio leaned casually outside of the main classroom building, lying in wait for Lovino. His class would be getting out soon, and Antonio wanted to surprise him. Admittedly, it wasn't much of a surprise since Antonio usually did this in the afternoons, but this time Antonio was ready to dazzle Lovino. He just knew the perfect thing to say, too. Francis had helped him come up with the line and figure out what to do all afternoon, so he was feeling pretty confident. Antonio started humming to himself, watching the passerby come and go. Not too far ahead was the new Estonian exchange student that had moved into Antonio's apartment building a couple of weeks ago. He was walking hand in hand with that Icelandic boy, the one who was brothers with Julchen's Danish friend's boyfriend. Antonio stared at them curiously. He wondered when they would have gotten together. They seemed to be happy from what Antonio could tell.

He looked down. He wanted to be able to look that happy with Lovino. He couldn't help but feel jealous. Antonio had known Lovino for a few months now, definitely longer than Eduard (the Estonian) and Ari (the Icelandic boy) had known each other. Oh, he knew from Francis that love came in all different shapes and sizes, and circumstances, but Antonio couldn't shake the feeling that that should be him and Lovino holding hands and doing cutesy stuff with each other. Seeing the young couple, Antonio became determined to win over Lovino's heart once and for all.

A few minutes later and Lovino came rushing out of the building with everyone else, all eager to get as far away from the school environment as they could. It was Friday, and thus the start of the weekend. Nobody wanted to stay there any longer than they had to. Antonio fell in line with Lovino easily, trying to look nonchalant. It was harder than it looked.

"Hey, Lovi," Antonio said easily, giving the Italian man a dazzling smile. At least, Antonio assumed it was dazzling. Francis always said it was, and Lovino had turned five different shades of red in under a minute so Antonio was going to say that yes, it was dazzling. "You know, if I could rearrange the alphabet I would put 'U' and 'I' together."

Lovino looked to the side and down, carefully avoiding looking at Antonio. "Really? I would put 'F' and 'U' together." Antonio actually kind of expected that one, so he wasn't too discouraged. He was more amused than anything. Plus, that was more of a warm-up pick-up line anyway. At least, that's what Antonio was choosing to believe. Still, he wasn't going to let it get him down; he could see how flattered Lovino was gradually starting to become whenever Antonio paid him attention like this.

"You don't think I'm serious, do you?" Antonio asked in amusement. Lovino frowned, pushing his way through the crowd of people around them. Antonio kept up easily, more than used to this sort of thing by now. That was definitely one thing he hadn't realized that would happen when he first decided to pursue Lovino—Antonio was in excellent shape now.

"Why should I, bastard?" Lovino snapped at him. He was still red in the face, but his eyes were narrowed at Antonio in suspicion. "You just keep saying all these sappy, cliché things to me but they never mean anything." Lovino sounded a little depressed when he said this last part.

"That's not true," Antonio denied. "I _do_ respect you, and I'm really serious about asking you out."

Lovino slowed down to a slow walk, glancing over at Antonio shyly. "Really?" he asked softly. Antonio nodded his head yes, hoping he could make the other see how much he really liked him.

"Really! I like you for your mind and body!" Antonio felt like he was on a roll. "Your body's like a temple!" He didn't notice how a few people around them started snickering at what he said. Lovino noticed, though.

"Sorry," he said bitterly, turning away from Antonio. "But services are closed today." With that, he walked away.

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" Antonio groaned, collapsing on the sofa in his and Francis' apartment. His two friends Francis and Julchen were with him, listening to his story. "No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get through to him! Why isn't anything working?"<p>

"Maybe it's because you're using pick-up lines?" Julchen asked, shooting a glare at Francis. She still hadn't forgiven him for getting in between her and her maple syrup supplier. I mean Matthew. Ever since, she had been looking for any way to get back at her 'friend'.

"Really?" Antonio asked, shocked. "But…but they make him happy!"

"How happy can he be if he keeps turning you down?" Julchen asked dryly. Francis glared at her.

"Weren't you keeping out of this one?"

"Oh, I am," Julchen assured him, leaning back in her chair comfortably. With her arms reclined behind her and her legs crossed, along with the look on her face, Julia really looked like she owned the apartment they were in. Even though she was the only one present who didn't live there. "I can still comment, though."

"Well keep your comments to yourself if you can't be helpful," Francis snapped at her. Turning back to Antonio he said in a softer, gentler voice "_Cher_, maybe you should try…something else. I'm not saying to give up," he said quickly when Antonio looked like he was about to protest "I'm just saying that maybe you should…expand your repertoire a little. Add in some nice complements, make him feel nice. Don't just rely on the pick-up lines; they're more powerful when used with other methods."

"You're really pushing this whole 'pick-up line' thing, aren't you?" Julchen commented. Francis steadfastly ignored her.

Antonio nodded slowly. Yeah, he could see the logic in what his friend was saying. And it made sense, too. Lovino had said that he didn't believe Antonio because all he said were pick-up lines. If he tried other tactics, then he was sure to win Lovino's heart! It was foolproof! "Thanks Francis!" Antonio exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and hurrying to the door.

He just caught Julchen saying "I can't believe he's actually listening to you about this," when he left.

* * *

><p>Antonio had a feeling that this was his last chance. Lovino had been doing a very good job of avoiding Antonio all week, and it was only by coincidence that he was even able to meet the fiery Italian again.<p>

Right in the middle of the campus cafeteria/plaza place. Right where Antonio had first laid eyes on Lovino. It felt like Antonio had come full circle again. He took a deep breath before slowly approaching. Lovino still hadn't notice that he was there yet. This could end really good, or really bad. Either way, Antonio knew deep down that this would be the end of something.

Whether it was the beginning of something else was all up to how well Antonio could talk. He crossed his fingers for luck. He was three feet away from the table when Lovino finally noticed him. Lovino was about to get up when Antonio rushed over, hurriedly trying to explain that he just wanted to talk, and to please hear him out. Lovino looked at him warily, but sat back down again.

"Well? Do you have something to say?" Lovino demanded, raising an eyebrow at Antonio. Antonio gulped.

"Well, Lovino…"

"It's Howard."

"What?" Antonio was starting to get really confused; it didn't help that Lovino said random things like this every now and then. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Never mind. What were you saying?"

"I wanted to say that…I'm sorry." Lovino jolted a little, looking like he hadn't expected for him to say that. Lovino furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Antonio said, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "I probably made you uncomfortable with all those pick-up lines. I'm sorry about that; it's just that I was told that pick-up lines usually work." Lovino scowled.

"Who told you that crap?"

"Francis."

"Ah. That explains it." EVERYONE on campus knew about Francis. Really, he was usually a default excuse for situations like this.

"Yeah… in hindsight, I probably should have realized he was giving me bad advice, especially after I had just stomped on his foot." Lovino only stared at Antonio. He laughed uneasily; Antonio knew he was oblivious, Lovino didn't have to rub it in. "So, I guess what I'm saying is, will you give me another chance?"

Lovino studied Antonio for a few minutes, looking like he was mentally trying to decide whether the other was worth it or not. Antonio thought he could see something like a struggle going on in Lovino's eyes. It looked like Lovino maybe wanted to give Antonio a chance…but his pride was stopping him. Antonio tried to push just a little farther.

"If you agree to go out with me, I swear I'll stop using pick-up lines."

"Deal," Lovino said hurriedly, a light blush coating his cheeks. Antonio couldn't help but smile when he saw how beautiful and cute Lovino was being. Shyly, Antonio slowly reached out with his hand and took Lovino's own hand in his. He smiled widely, happy with how well things worked out. But something was still nagging in the back of his mind…

"Were the pick-up lines really that bad?" he asked Lovino curiously later. They had managed to kick Francis out of the apartment, and were currently snuggled up on the sofa. Lovino snorted, turning his head to look at Antonio wryly.

"Yes. Yes they were." Antonio pouted. He had been really proud of them, and he had really thought that they would work.

"…I know I said that I would never say them anymore, but can I at least say…two more? To get them out of my system?" Lovino sighed deeply, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, bastard. But they better be good!"

"Okay, okay!" Antonio agreed happily. He thought for a moment, wondering which ones he should say. They had to be good, since this was his last chance. His eyes lit up when he found the perfect two. Gazing deep into Lovino's eyes and leaning seductively towards him, Antonio lisped into his ear.

"I would go to the end of the world for you," he sighed into Lovino's ear. It was true, even if it was just a pick-up line. Lovino's face was red again, and he leant back, trying to look like what Antonio had said hadn't affected him.

"Y-yeah, but would you stay there?" Antonio chuckled, leaning forward again until he was hovering over Lovino with nowhere for the Italian to run off to.

"If I could see you naked, I would die happy."

"If I saw _you_ naked, I would probably die laughing."

Some things just never changed.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirteen—Next up! Mission control, can you hear me? What about you, my dear readers?<em>


	14. Life 14 Love In Outerspace

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 14; Feelings in Outer space  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Lovino is about to take the trip of a lifetime. Now if only he can get through his feelings for Anita…  
><em>_Rating__: Rated T because…just because. I think there's, like…one curse word in here. I don't even know anymore.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: __**Slight**__ language, what could be one-sided feelings, my bad writing skills, the shortness of the chapter (when compared with some past ones), Lovino angsting, another Fem!character (Antonio again; why do I like him in a skirt so much? XDD), etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Anita, Eduard, an OC, mentions of Alfred, Ari and Emma.  
><em>_Pairings__: one-sided(?) Lovino/Anita, Eduard/Ari (again, for a friend, I don't even know if they read this story).  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,004.  
><em>_Notes__: After writing very long chapters, I wanted to write something short. Somehow, this was the result. I'm actually really pleased with how this one turned out. *proud face* Also, be prepared for some longer chapters coming up soon!_

* * *

><p><em>Captain Vargas…<em>

_No, INCREDIBLE Captain Vargas…_

Yeah, that had a good ring to it Lovino decided. He smugly walked down the hallway, headed towards the mission control room. He had just been promoted, and the new rank still felt a little weird to him. But it was okay; he had a good feeling that he would get used to it very soon. Lovino smirked and nodded to a few female personnel that walked by, giggling when they saw the newest captain. He knew he was hot stuff. After all, he was one of the youngest, _ever_, to reach the rank of captain (only being beaten out by that one legend, Alfred F. Jones from about a decade or so ago; but then again, that guy was a genius, making captain at age nineteen), and he was also specially chosen to lead a new mission on one of the newest shuttles to date. They could probably even leave the _galaxy_ with it! Luckily Lovino's mission wasn't anything as big as that. All he and his crew had to do was explore Mars; it wouldn't even take years and years to travel one way, either.

The metal doors to the control room _swoosh_-ed open, letting Lovino enter. Inside there were scores of computers and other such technology monitoring everything from security to climate control and everything in between. There were various scientists at work, along with a few security officers standing around to make sure everything went okay. They weren't who Lovino was looking for, though. Scanning the room briefly, Lovino spotted the head scientist tapping away at his computer consol, though it looked more like he was playing a quick RPG game while he wasn't overly busy. Lovino snorted. Geniuses. They thought they could get away with anything; even worse was the fact that they _could_. It was especially weird since Eduard was a little too old to be playing such games, at least to Lovino. The Estonian was in his mid-forties, if Lovino remembered correctly.

Lovino sauntered over to Eduard, glancing briefly at a picture on his desk of a pale skinned and pale haired man with a puffin on his shoulder. If he remembered right, that was Eduard's husband or something. Lovino didn't have anything against gay people, especially if they helped him come back from a mission in one piece.

"Hey, Eduard," he asked when he was standing next to the head scientist. Eduard jumped in surprise and hurriedly closed the screen on his RPG game. He turned to face Lovino. It almost looked like there were sparkles hanging around him. Lovino had to blink a few times to get rid of the image. "Have you seen the Commander? Or any of the rest of my team?" Eduard leaned back in thought, humming a little to himself.

"I don't think the Commander's here yet…captain," he said this last part as a congratulations which Lovino gratefully accepted. He had worked _hard_ to get to where he was now. "As for your crew, the only one I've seen yet is Anita…" Lovino interrupted him with a groan. Of all people to be here so early, why did it have to be _her_? Eduard smiled sympathetically. "I would say good luck, but I don't think you really need it. Why don't you give her a shot? She's a lovely girl, and there's no rule against it." There hadn't been a rule against employee fraternization ever since their previous Commander had been caught with the previous Captain (not Jones; he was off around the country giving interviews and whatnot now) in one of the air locks. Lovino sighed.

He knew that Anita was a lovely girl. That was the problem—she was _lovely_. Lovino had always had a bit of a thing for her when he was little, but he had resigned himself to having his feelings be unreturned. And then she ended up following him all the way to NASA. He just didn't know how he felt about her anymore, and he was afraid to find out. It wasn't like she had any kind of feelings or anything for him, though. Lovino liked to avoid thinking about her as much as he could, actually. It only gave him heartache, and a headache.

Thanking Eduard, Lovino resigned himself to wandering over to where the coffee machine was set up. That was their version of the 'water cooler' that was always in office buildings and the like. It was where all the personnel gathered to talk and spend time with each other, and it was usually the designated meeting place. Anita was already there, drinking an extra large cup of coffee. She was never a morning person, from what Lovino could remember; she always needed the extra caffeine to function in the morning. Lovino walked slowly, trying to make it seem like he wasn't as flustered as he felt. Even if Anita didn't like him in the way that he liked her, he still cared about her. He didn't want to make her upset or anything, and he especially didn't want to ruin their friendship.

Or whatever the hell you would call it.

Anita glanced up from her cup and smiled at Lovino. She was always smiling at him, though, so it didn't mean anything, Lovino told himself. It was something he did every time he was around her; if Lovino allowed himself to let up for a minute and even start to think that Anita might have feelings for him, he wasn't sure what he would do. Especially since he knew that he, and his feelings, would be crushed instantly the next time she said "_I'm so glad we're friends, Lovi~!"_ He wasn't a masochist, after all.

Lovino nodded at her and poured himself a cup of coffee. It might not have been the best coffee around, but it was still better than most. Plus, it was drinkable. That's all that really mattered in the mornings anyway. Lovino turned back around and sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the small table from Anita. She was still smiling at him; Lovino was beginning to feel his cheeks heat up. Hopefully he could hide it by saying that it was because of the hot coffee or something. Anita would believe that, right?

"Morning, Lovi!" Anita chirped. Lovino raised an eyebrow. Since when has Anita ever been this energetic in the mornings?

"_Captain_, Anita," Lovino replied, taking a careful sip of his coffee. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it… "I'm a Captain now; remember that."

Anita giggled. "Of course I remember, silly. Oh, I'm just so proud that my little Lovi's finally become a big, famous astronaut captain!" Again, there went Lovino's hopes. He would only be 'little Lovi' to her after all. He harrumphed, looking away. Things were silent for a minute or two, the two old friends just sitting, drinking coffee and enjoying the other's presence.

"So, are you ready to go up this Friday?" Lovino asked. He pretty much already knew the answer "_Of course Lovi, I'm always ready! Aren't I?_" but it still felt like professional courtesy to ask anyway.

Anita frowned, looking down into her coffee cup. "Actually… I won't be able to go this time."

"What?" Lovino hadn't been expecting that. He looked at her sharply. What did she mean by that? Anita may have been a little flaky and a bit of a space-case (work related pun not intended), but she was still an exceptional worker. For all six missions that she had been on, half of which Lovino had worked with her, Anita had been very professional. It might have been Lovino's bias talking here, but Anita was the best astronaut that Lovino knew. How could she not be able to come? "How did that happen?"

Anita sighed, eyes looking troubled. "My medical exam came back."

"Oh."

"It's not as bad as I thought," Anita rushed out, looking desperately at Lovino. "They even said that I could still keep my job. All I need is to take some pills for a little while. But…"

"You still wouldn't be ready to leave by Friday," Lovino finished. He should have expected this. It wasn't like Anita was sick or anything, but she had been complaining about a headache for a while now. But that didn't mean anything if the medical center didn't clear you. If there was even something minor wrong, you would be grounded—sometimes permanently if there was something really wrong, forcing you into an early retirement. Supposedly, that's what had happened with Jones about ten years back; he had had to get his appendix taken out, rumors say, but because it was still an operation he could no longer go into space. That's why nowadays he spends his time touring the country, Lovino heard.

At least with Anita it wasn't anything big like that. But, because Lovino was going on the mission and she wasn't, that meant that they wouldn't be able to see each other for at least two, maybe five years. It may not have taken that long to get to Mars anymore, but Lovino's crew still had to stay and study the place; they would be the first humans to ever step foot on the red planet, after all.

Anita looked cautiously at Lovino, as if she was afraid that he would get mad at her. As if that would happen. Lovino could never get angry at a lady, especially if that lady happened to be Anita. But still, Lovino was pretty upset about this. He would have to spend five years (yes, he was pessimistic) away from Anita.

She could get a boyfriend during that time, or worse, a husband. With kids. Lovino wasn't sure if he would be able to handle that. Oh, sure, he was fine with his one-sided feelings for his childhood friend, but he could still always glare at and chase away anyone who tried to come on to her. If he was away for five years, who knew what would happen? Who knew where that would leave Lovino?

Anita looked like she was about to say something when the Commander came through the sliding doors, silencing everything except the whirr of the computers in the room. The Commander was an intimidating sort of man with stern, steady eyes, an expression that gave nothing away, and an air of authority surrounding him like a second atmosphere. He had short, neat brown hair that was cut into a military-style haircut and was wearing a pristine, ironed and straight-cut military uniform. The Commander surveyed the room, taking in the faces of both scientists and space personnel that had entered the room while Lovino wasn't paying attention. His eyes briefly landed on Lovino. With a brief motion of his head, he signaled for the Italian to come and join in the official briefing of their—_his_—mission, his first as a Captain. Lovino sighed, standing up.

"I'll see you later, I guess," he said to Anita as he walked by her. Anita tried to stop him but he was already gone.

* * *

><p>Later that week, Friday had come at last. Right after Thursday, too. Lovino had a feeling that the next day would be Saturday, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Lovino snorted into his steaming mug of coffee. He always did try to compensate for nervousness with stale humor that wasn't even funny. It was currently four in the morning, and the official shuttle launch was set to leave in four hours. As Captain, Lovino had the duty of arriving early to make sure everything was going okay. It was his ship and his crew that were involved, and Lovino didn't want to risk that <em>and<em> his life just because some stupid idiot had left their coffee unattended and the liquid ended up getting spilt all over a precious piece of equipment.

That would seriously put a damper on his already crappy day.

Lovino glanced at his watch. He needed to get ready soon; even though they wouldn't be launching for another four hours, Lovino still had to put on his space suit and wait with the rest of his team in a special room set aside just for them. He supposed that he had put that part off enough already. It wasn't that he didn't like the others on his team—Lovino was just antisocial by nature. His cousin Emma was always teasing him about that, too. Lovino was just about to head over to the main building where he needed to be when he heard his name being called. Turning around, Lovino was surprised to see Anita running up to him.

"Lovino, wait!" she called. Well, who was Lovino to refuse a lady, particularly Anita? Love sucked sometimes. "I…wanted to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Lovino asked. He had kind of been hoping to see Anita again before he left. He had kind of doubted that he would get to see her since it was so early in the morning, though. Anita took a deep breath, smiling widely at him.

"Mmhmm," she said. "I didn't want to just not say anything to you before you left for who knew how many years, right?"

"Five."

"What?"

"Five years. At least, that's how long I think it'll be. I don't know for sure, though."

"O-oh," Anita trailed off, suddenly looking unsure. Before Lovino could say or do anything to make her feel better, he heard the Commander calling his name. Lovino rolled his eyes, glancing at Anita apologetically. At least, as apologetically as Lovino could get.

"Sorry, I have to go," he said as he started to turn around.

"Wait!" Anita grabbed his arm, halting him in his steps. Lovino blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden touch. He hoped he wasn't blushing too much at the contact, but Lovino's luck had never actually been that great. Getting promoted to Captain at such a young age was just a fluke, something that only ended in Lovino having to be separated from Anita on his first assignment. Speaking of Anita…

Said Spanish girl took a deep breath, gently releasing Lovino's arm. "Sorry about that… I, um, just wanted to tell you that I… well, I'll tell you when you get back, okay Lovi?" Somehow, just like that, Anita was back to her usual self. Lovino really didn't know how girls could do that. He stared at her as Anita sent him on his way, telling him not to be too late to the launch.

"After all, you're the Captain now, right?" she said cheerfully. "And when you get back, I'll have something important to tell you, so look forward to it, okay?" With a quick wink and a smile, she was gone. Lovino stared at the space that she had just been and shook his head. He really didn't know what went on with that girl sometimes.

Well, he would just have to wait until he got back to Earth to hear what Anita had wanted to tell him, anyway. With that thought in mind, Lovino walked through the doors.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Fourteen—Next up! We're entering the thieves' den now!<em>


	15. Life 15 The Thieves Guild

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 15; The Thieves Guild  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Apprentice Thief!Antonio x Thief Guild!Lovino; There were only two things Antonio wanted to steal: the Imperial Jade Tea Set, and Lovino's heart. Not necessarily in that order.  
><em>_Rating__: T for swearing (I went all out this time; probably still not that much, though…), themes (crime, stealing, encouraging stealing [in story, that is], illegal activities, etc…).  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, themes, my bad writing skills, __**loonngggg**__ chapters, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Antonio, Emma, Lars, Matthias, mentions of Vash, Lili, Francis, Alfred, Gilbert, Ludwig and slight mentions of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Just, you know, not as countries in this one.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, mentions of Francis/Alfred, slight one-sided Lovino/Emma, Lovino/Belarus, Lovino/Ukraine, Lovino/Lili, Lovino/anyone who's a sister of someone… Oh, and maybe Lars/Emma (love them ever since hearing their shared Hatefutte Parade song~) and Emma/OC (who dies, don't worry).  
><em>_Word Count__: 11,577 (OTL [I don't even know what that stands for either *sweatdrop*]).  
><em>_Notes__: I really don't know how this got so long (that's what she said *shot*). I'm proud of it, though. It's easily the longest chapter I have so far. I hope you like it! ^_^_

_Also, I had a few people ask me out of concern for some of the endings to these lives. So, I'll just say this; unless it says otherwise somewhere, assume that Antonio and Lovino (in whichever incarnations that they currently are in) end up together. An example would be with Princess Anita and Daring Adventurer Lovino-her kingdom was saved, and they married and lived happily ever after with 2.5 kids. Last chapter, Anita was going to tell Lovino that she loved him. If there's anything else that you're not sure about, just ask in a review or PM or something. Other than that, think whatever you will for how they got together. Enjoy~! ^_^_

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><p>Lovino groaned. It was just his luck that he got settled with leading the newbie around. What was even worse was that the guy just—kept—<em>staring<em>—at—him! Lovino had just about had it with this Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. From what the Boss had told Lovino when he practically shoved the guy at him, Antonio had tried to pick the pocket of some higher up or something, and rather than face the punishment he chose to join the Thieves Guild. Lovino shot a dirty look at Antonio, who was sitting next to him in the restaurant, chatting away. Obviously, he hadn't noticed that Lovino really didn't give a fuck.

Lovino should have been out on the streets right now, 'working'. He was undeniably the best pick-pocket that the Thieves had, but here he was on babysitting duty. Antonio was looking out the window in awe, for some reason. He was humming under his breath, and Lovino noticed how every now and then the Spaniard tried to sneakily glance at Lovino without being caught. Lovino rolled his eyes. The guy was persistent, he'd give him that. But he really, _really_ lacked subtlety of any kind. That was one thing that they, in their line of business, couldn't afford to be without—at least, if they never wanted to get caught.

Slowly, Lovino stood up from the wooden table. Antonio stopped humming to look at him curiously. As Lovino regarded Antonio, he wondered vaguely which song it was that he had been humming. Antonio had been humming it for the entire time that Lovino had known him, which was about four hours now. He had a distant notion that the song had been popular once—twenty-something years ago. Some hit band had sung it when they were in their prime. If Lovino remembered correctly, the band, its manager and publicist ended up dying tragically in some automobile accident in Europe.

But Lovino didn't really care. It happened before he was born, and the band's company ended up making a ton of money off of them when they died; bastards.

"¿Sí? Is something on my face?" Antonio asked, breaking into Lovino's thoughts. Mother fucker. Who said he could do that? Lovino scowled, gesturing for Antonio to get up.

"Come on, dammit," Lovino snarled, dragging Antonio after him out onto the streets. "Some how _I've_ been put in charge of you, and you are _not_ fucking dying on my watch."

"Well…I wasn't really planning on dying, you know."

"Shut up. Shitty bastard…" Lovino mumbled to himself. "My point is that if I'm teaching you how to be one of us, you are going to be _one of us_. That means absolutely no complaining, no snitching to the cops, and no back talk."

"I wasn't really planning on snitching to the police anyway."

"My god, do you ever shut up?" Lovino shook his head. Pausing in the street, he looked around for a place that was good enough for them to practice in. Up ahead, Lovino saw an old burned out warehouse. He smirked. Perfect. He led Antonio straight to the warehouse, trying to ignore Antonio's inane chatter. Unfortunately, the Spaniard was stronger than Lovino, who still had a grip on Antonio's shirt sleeve. He was pulled to a stop when Antonio stopped as well, a few feet into the warehouse. He was staring at various graffiti on the wall, chuckling as he read the very faded words. Lovino sighed again, waiting for Antonio to finish. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to move the Spaniard until he had read the entire thing. Lovino thought it was just ridiculous. That graffiti had been up there for as long as Lovino remembered, and he was pretty sure it had actually been up there for years before, too. He barely paid it any attention anymore. If he remembered right, it said '_Brian wuz here, muthafukas!_' '_Chris iz a stuupid idiot_' and something like '_Chris & Brian 2gether 4ever_'. Really, it was nothing special. The spelling sucked, and the last one was a little weird but it was still just like anything else you could find on any abandoned warehouse or alley wall anywhere. He didn't know who that Chris chick was, but she was probably not too bright to be hanging out with someone who couldn't even spell correctly.

When it looked like Antonio had finally managed to make out the almost illegible street art, Lovino tugged on his arm, pulling Antonio along behind him.

"Hey, why are we in here?" Antonio asked after a few minutes of walking. Lovino looked around him and nodded, satisfied. He let go of Antonio's arm and turned to face him, a smirk in place.

"We're here so you can learn how to be a thief," Lovino stated. Antonio looked at him in confusion. Lovino sighed impatiently. He _really_ wished that he hadn't tried to hit on his Boss's sister right now. He was sure that this was payback from that overprotective son-of-a-bitch. "Look around you, fuck-tard." Antonio frowned at the insult but complied anyway. "What do you see?"

"Um…old machinery parts, I guess," he said after a moment of contemplation. "This isn't one of those weird Zen things where I'm supposed to look beyond what's there, is it?" Lovino blinked, surprised.

"What? Fuck no, what gave you that idea?" Antonio shrugged, looking around again. He seemed a little happier now that he didn't have to answer any philosophical questions.

"I don't know. I think I saw a movie or something like that once." Lovino stared at him, deadpan.

"That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Antonio seemed a little insulted by his words so Lovino hurried on. He didn't really want to see what Antonio would do to him with those muscles if he really got angry; especially here in this abandoned warehouse. It would be just like Lars to send someone to his death this way in revenge for hitting on his sister. It was kind of creepy, really, how much Lars seemed to care for Emma. "Anyway, one of the first things that every thief has to know is how to move about silently." Lovino looked around again and found an old chair that was still pretty usuable. It had a strange lump carved on the back, but other than that it seemed fine. He sat down in the chair and closed his eyes. "Right now you're about…twenty feet to my left, right?"

"Yeah…" Antonio said slowly. "Why do you have your eyes closed?"

"Try to sneak up and touch me," Lovino said instead. "Anywhere's fine, I guess, as long as it's above chest level. If you can do that without me knowing where you are then you'll pass. Start any time."

The room grew silent as Lovino sat and listened. Antonio stayed still for a minute or two, probably trying to see if Lovino was being serious or not. When it seemed that Antonio had finally decided that yes, perhaps I _should_ start moving around to touch this strange man so I can finally leave and be done with this, Lovino inwardly smirked. When he had asked Antonio to describe the room earlier, Antonio had left out a few things. He had only said that there was some old machinery around, which wasn't entirely wrong. The warehouse used to be a factory several decades ago before the economic bubble collapsed, forcing several other factories just like this one to close. But what Antonio had left out was that there were other things in the room as well, such as the chair that Lovino was currently sitting in, a few chains hanging from the ceiling, broken glass and scattered papers and cardboard on the floor, and some rusted pipes and other machinery parts lying around. Over in the corner, there were even a few other miscellaneous objects that were stacked up over out of the way. Another sign of a good thief was the ability to catalog everything in a room as soon as they entered it. They needed to be able to first locate all the exits and the layout of the room, then the security measures that were put in place, if any, and then finally what their target was, if there was one. That Antonio only mentioned 'old machinery parts' told Lovino more than enough.

Antonio wasn't cut out to be a thief. That much was clear to Lovino.

After a minute or two of hearing Antonio shuffle slowly to where Lovino was sitting, Lovino grew impatient. "Okay, that's enough. Just stop already, bastard." Lovino opened his eyes and turned his head to look behind him where Antonio was in mid crouch about five or so feet away. Lovino regarded him, unimpressed. "That was just pathetic. I could hear you coming as soon as you moved." Antonio frowned, straightening up.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to see if you would realize your mistakes, but no; you just kept coming after me." Lovino stared at him, then rose out of his seat. "I'll give you points for trying to sneak behind me, but that's also the oldest trick in the book. Everyone's going to be coming at you from behind. What you need to do is learn to focus your attention behind you in situations like that so that way no one can catch you off guard." Lovino regarded Antonio again, skeptically this time. "Are you sure you want to be a thief? I don't think you have the skills it takes. You might as well just give up now." He was surprised, and a little taken aback, when Antonio leveled a glare at him.

"I'm not giving up," Antonio stated clearly. "This is only my first time trying anything like this; obviously I won't be as good as you—Mr. _Master Thief_." He knew what Lovino's rank was. Okay, he was a little impressed.

"Fine," Lovino caved. He always did have a soft spot for those that called him 'Master Thief.' When you were as good as Lovino was, you knew it and it felt great to have others know it too. "But I'm not going to go easy on you," Lovino warned. "I'm not sure what else you heard about me, but I hate men. I won't go easy on you even if you beg me to with tears in your eyes." Antonio smirked at him, ready to accept the challenge.

"Don't worry, I won't. I just hope you don't bore me too much while you keep talking to yourself." Lovino smirked back. This was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>This was so not fun. After three whole days, Lovino had finally managed to teach Antonio how to walk silently enough. Lovino could still hear him approaching, but he figured that he wouldn't need to know more than that for any basic jobs that Antonio started on. Antonio had looked so proud, too. Lovino had almost hated to burst his bubble of happiness.<p>

Almost.

"You're not even close to being finished yet," Lovino told him a week after they had started. "You don't even know all the basics yet."

"Well, then teach me them already!" Antonio said cheerfully. That was something else that Lovino had noticed about Antonio. Not only did the man hum, and sometimes whistle, that stupid song over and over again, he was also annoyingly cheerful and optimistic. It didn't matter how many times Lovino insulted him, Antonio would always have that stupid smile on his stupid face. And Lovino had been cruel. He had been as cruel to Lovino as Lovino's teacher had been with him. Lovino shuddered whenever he thought about Vash and his strange fetish for guns and shooting at Lovino whenever he was around Vash's sister Lili for longer than necessary.

…now that Lovino thought about it, a lot of his problems probably wouldn't even exist if he would just stay away from other people's sisters.

So, Lovino began to teach Antonio more of the basics. This included simple lock-picking and pick-pocketing, including using the bell-suit. Antonio had laughed when he came in to the warehouse one day, a place that was gradually becoming a hangout for just the two of them more and more. Lovino was busy setting up the suit on a spare manikin that he had found over in the pile of objects in the corner. From what Antonio had chortled out after Lovino had thrown a wrench at his head, he had been laughing because he was surprised to see Lovino of all people with a serious expression on his face, especially when all he had been doing was 'placing some suit on a dummy.' Lovino threw another wrench.

"Shit-face," Lovino muttered. Louder, he said "this is to help you with pick-pocketing. If you can get this twenty" he held up a twenty dollar note before making a show of putting it into one of the suit coat's pockets without ringing any of the bells "without making a sound, then you can keep it."

"Easy," Antonio said with a grin, stretching out his arms and shoulders as he approached the coat. Lovino had taken to charging Antonio five dollars per miss that he made in practice. Undoubtedly, he was hoping to try and make some of that money back. Lovino smirked at him.

"Confident, aren't you?" he cooed mockingly. "How about we make this interesting? For each time you end up touching one of the bells, you'll owe me ten dollars instead of just five?" Antonio's smile started to slip a little.

"But-I haven't been able to get anything right the first time."

"Then you'll just have to get it right this time, won't you?" Lovino smirked. Antonio set his jaw and drew himself up, striding forward confidently. The look he gave Lovino clearly said that he would show him that he could get it right the first time; then it would be _Lovino_ who would owe him money!

An hour later, and Antonio was down a hundred dollars. He had a pout on his face that he was desperately trying to hide from Lovino. Lovino felt a strange twinge in his stomach. He didn't like seeing Antonio looking like this… He had just gotten used to seeing the idiot with that smile on his face. It was so weird seeing this—this _sad look_! It was like kicking a puppy or something. Lovino may have been a lot of things, a bastard included, but he was not a puppy-kicker. He sighed in frustration, walking over to Antonio and the manikin. He pushed Antonio's hands away from the suit and lifted two fingers. He made sure that Antonio was watching and carefully put his hands in the coat pocket. In just as swift a motion as before, he pulled out the twenty dollars.

"You have to be light on your fingers, not just your feet," Lovino told him, placing the twenty in Antonio's hand. Reaching in his own pocket, he pulled out another twenty and placed it in another pocket on the bell-suit. "Try again—this time without betting any money. If you get the twenty this time, it's yours. Bastard." Lovino walked back to the side where his chair was. It was feeling hot all of a sudden in the warehouse; they probably didn't have very good ventilation or something. That had to be it. When he faced his pupil again, Antonio had a strange look on his face. Lovino didn't even try to figure out what that look meant and instead looked to the side, waiting for the next tinkling of the bells on the suit to ring.

* * *

><p>"Okay, this is an easy one," Lovino whispered to Antonio. "Even better, he's old—and rich. Just accidentally bump into him and start apologizing like the idiot you are. While he's not paying attention, grab the wallet. It's as simple as that."<p>

The two of them were out in the streets today. After several months of practice, Lovino finally deemed Antonio ready for the real world. Ever the one to think of the glass being half empty, Lovino made sure that Antonio had the easy marks for his first time. He had even had his Boss, Lars, block their street from any other guild members for that day, just in case. Lovino thought that he was being so generous because he had stopped going after Emma. It was unusual for Lars to give up the opportunity to make money like that, unless his sister was somehow involved.

Antonio looked a little uneasy about having to take money from an old man, but he quickly straightened up and prepared for his first real job. He didn't want to suffer another of Lovino's nagging sessions if he was caught complaining. Antonio took a deep breath and started walking out calmly into the busy street, watching the pedestrians and street stalls casually. Then, almost as if by coincidence, Antonio started to turn to his left as the older man turned right as well. The next thing anyone knew, the two were on the ground with Antonio apologizing as emphatically as he could. Antonio was gathering up the older man's things when the man started yelling at him in a foreign language, making wild gestures towards Antonio. Antonio practically shoved the man's things into his arms before he ran off, still yelling apologies as he went.

When he came back to the meeting place, Lovino was leaning against the wall casually, staring at a flower stall. Antonio smirked. It looked as if Lovino wasn't paying attention… now was the perfect time to see if Antonio's sneaking skills had improved any! As carefully as he could, Antonio crept closer, one foot in front of another. He kept one eye on his target, Lovino, and one eye on the ground underneath him. If there was ever one thing that Antonio had learned under Lovino's wing it was that he had to be careful where he stepped. Even the littlest piece of paper could give him away. Carefully skirting a candy wrapper, Antonio was about to reach out a hand to touch Lovino's shoulder when he spoke.

"Antonio, what are you doing?"

Antonio deflated. Lovino had caught him again… he was just too good at this sort of thing! It was one of the things that he admired about the other man. When Lovino turned to look at him, Antonio smiled at him, enjoying the slight blush that he was able to cause. "Nothing much," he replied. He held up the thick wallet that he had managed to grab. "You were right, Lovino; he was loaded! He kept yelling at me in some weird language, though…" Lovino snorted, grabbing the wallet from Antonio's hands. Antonio felt a spark of electricity run through his veins at the contact, but he had learned not to let his feelings show like that. Ever since the fiasco with Francis, Antonio was quite adept at hiding his true feelings like that.

Besides, judging by the way Lovino was staring at those two flower girls, Antonio didn't have a chance at all. He was sad, but he was used to it by now. Francis had Alfred, and Lovino had all the women in the world. Antonio was used to disappointment.

"You know," Antonio said when Lovino started to let his eyes wander back to the flower girls. "I'm pretty sure they have a brother. Who's bigger than I am." Lovino sighed and started counting the money in the wallet.

"Figures," he heard the Italian mutter under his breath. Lovino turned back to Antonio and handed him a five dollar bill. "This is your cut; the rest goes to the Boss." Antonio frowned.

"But…this is only five dollars." Lovino rolled his eyes, walking out of the alley. Antonio followed along, of course.

"So you _can_ count! Good, I was seriously starting to worry, dammit," Lovino said sarcastically. Antonio frowned, not liking that Lovino wasn't even taking him seriously.

"Hey, I've only been doing this for…not even a day! This was my first job, how am I supposed to know what the take is? Shouldn't that have been your job to teach me or something?" Antonio pouted. For some reason Lovino refused to look at him. He always got this way whenever Antonio was upset. Antonio didn't know why, but he didn't like it when Lovino wouldn't look at him. Antonio figured that it had something to do with Antonio frowning, but he didn't know why. Rather than try to figure that part out, Antonio figured that the best way to make sure that it didn't happen again was if he had a smile on his face.

Antonio's smiles did wonders for people. It made Francis not hate him, and it made Gilbert feel better about being named after some famous dead guy in his family (at least, according to his older cousin Ludwig). Antonio's smiles also made Lovino look at him more, so Antonio felt like everybody won. Feeling in a better mood, he started humming that song again. He didn't quite remember the words anymore, if he ever knew them to begin with. But Ludwig was always listening to it when he was watching after Gilbert and his friends, and Antonio liked the tune.

Antonio stopped whistling when it seemed like Lovino was trying to get his attention.

"¿Sí, Lovi?"

"I was trying to tell you," Lovino ground out, "that the reason why your cut's so small is because you're only an apprentice. That, and our Boss is a cheapskate. We have to give him something like sixty percent of our haul, or else."

"Or else?"

"Or else he'll get his Danish best friend to come and beat our fucking brains in with his huge-ass ax."

"Ah," Antonio replied delicately. "I don't want that…"

"No one does," Lovino snorted. He opened the door to a bar for Antonio. At first he thought that maybe, just maybe, Lovino was going to invite him out for drinks. Then he saw the look on Lovino's face, the one that said 'you will do as I say exactly when I say it, do I make myself clear dammit?'

"This is where our Boss is," Lovino whispered to Antonio. He had to force himself not to shudder at the feeling of Lovino's breath tickling his ear. "Since it's your first time, and since he closed off the street for you today, we're going to give him his portion right now. In the future, when you're on your own, you don't have to come here except once a week." Antonio nodded to show that he understood. He followed Lovino at a respectable pace, taking in the looks and sounds all around him. The walls, floors and ceilings were made of wood, as were most of the older buildings in this part of town. Some of the tables were wood too, but they seemed to be in as good a condition as the rest of the tables. The tables, and a few knick-knacks here and there, were the only things in good condition in here, unfortunately.

This included the patrons, Antonio noticed. He wrinkled his nose at the smell. It smelled as if some of these men hadn't showered in quite a while. Lovino strode purposefully past them, barely cringing as he passed a few shady looking guys whose arms were bigger around that Antonio's whole body was. Over by one of the darkened corners of the room were a group of people that Antonio recognized from when he was last brought to this place. It had been dark, and night time, and raining then so he hadn't recognized at first where he was. Deep in the shadows was the Boss. Strangely enough, there was a bright young girl who was about Antonio's age sitting with this group of people. She looked over and smiled at Antonio and Lovino, though she seemed to keep her eyes mostly on Lovino. Antonio fought hard to keep his jealousy down. He knew who she was. That was Emma, Lars' sister. If there was one person that everyone in town knew not to mess with, it was this woman. The fear of her brother's wrath was too great to even think to try anything.

When Lovino was finally in front of the group he knelt to the ground, offering the thick wallet to the Boss. A guy with spiky blond hair and a crazy grin on his face sat next to the Boss in the right-hand man position. He leaned forward and grabbed the wallet, tossing it carelessly behind him towards the boss. By himself, Antonio wouldn't have thought that he wasn't much to look at. True, he was pretty tall but he was also skinny in his black, slim-looking over coat. Antonio could just make out some muscle definition that didn't really mean anything to him—until he saw the ax that the man was leaning against casually. The ax-head was smaller than what Antonio was used to but the handle was longer for better handling and the blade was still very deadly. He had a feeling that this was the Danish friend that Lovino was talking about.

Antonio was never really that great in situations like this. He would always mess things up and end up making people want to kill him. That was starting to get tiring, actually. So, Antonio decided to just leave everything, all the talking and all that, up to Lovino who knew what was going on. Antonio looked around him curiously, noticing all the little details that he had missed when he just came in. He had a feeling that Lovino would try to quiz him on that again when they got out of there, and he wanted to be prepared. Soon, without realizing it, Antonio began to hum to himself. Luckily he was quiet enough that only a few people around him heard, and nobody important out of those people. Lovino did glare at him, annoyed, but he kept silent.

Soon enough it was time for Lovino and Antonio to leave. Lovino bowed once more to the Boss. Antonio stayed standing until Lovino elbowed him in the stomach, hard. He yelped and bent over, clutching his stomach; his position could easily be mistaken for a bow. Antonio heard a few snickers from around him but he didn't bother to look up. For someone who ate a lot (though admittedly it was mostly Italian food), Lovino sure had boney elbows! It was like he got stabbed in the stomach more than anything. Antonio was just thinking about how Lovino's elbows could be used as potential weapons when said Italian pulled him out of the building.

* * *

><p>"So, what's our next job?" Antonio asked excitedly. By now, which was a full day later, he was over his stomach pains, though a magnificent bruise was clearly visible and sensitive to the touch. But now, all Antonio wanted to do was move on to the next job. He and Lovino were back in the warehouse, lounging around while Lovino and Antonio practiced their lock-picking skills. They had noticeably different levels of complexity with their locks, but Antonio wasn't too discouraged. Someday, hopefully soon, he would catch up to Lovino. Until then, all Antonio could do was continue to practice and hone his skills.<p>

That meant completing more jobs.

Lovino shrugged from where he was leaning against his favorite chair. "Anything, as long as we put in a bid for it," he replied. "At least, that's how the actual theft jobs work. For now, we'll stick with pick-pocketing. We don't need to do anything for that, just go out in the streets and see if we're lucky." Lovino put down his (newly opened) lock and looked at Antonio, unknowingly taking his breath away. "Don't be too discouraged, fucker, if you don't get anything all the time. I've been at the pick-pocket game for most of my life, and even I sometimes have a week or two where I can't get anything. The important thing is to recognize what you can and can't do. If it looks like you might get caught, don't even try. Lars' policy is to leave you in jail to rot if you get caught; the cheap bastard won't even bother coming to bail you out, since it would cost money."

Antonio could kind of understand that; it was still a real dick move to pull, but it also meant that everyone would be more careful. But Antonio didn't want to pick-pocket. He wanted the real jobs, the ones where he steals from museums, and houses, and mansions, and other places like that! He wanted to test his skills, not just stay out on the streets. When he mentioned this to Lovino the other man looked pensive.

"My straight answer is no," he said flatly. "You just started, and you can barely manage to keep silent in the best of times. Forget staking out a place, keeping low so no one can suspect you, and then actually pulling off the heist." Antonio was about to say something in protest (he _was_ ready! He could feel it!) when Lovino held up his hand, saying he wasn't finished. "I know why you want to, though. The biggest payouts are to those who go on professional jobs, not the street workers. But that's also where the real troubles begin; if you're caught pick-pocketing, boohoo. You'll get out after a month, tops. But if you're caught when on an actual job, it's _years_ till you're released."

Antonio didn't see what the problem here was. "So, I just not get caught. Easy, right?" Lovino groaned in frustration. Antonio seemed to make him frustrated a lot; the same could be said vice versa as well, though in another way for Antonio. "What? I'm not saying I go _right now_, or even alone. I know I need practice, but I was thinking that you could help me with that."

Lovino looked him over, calculatingly. Antonio tried to keep his confident expression on his face, but it was difficult when Lovino was eyeing him like that. Antonio had a feeling that this was one of his only chances of being able to convince Lovino to let him go, so he had to make sure he was confident enough for Lovino to rely on. Finally, Lovino sighed in defeat. Antonio tried not to let the triumphant grin shine _too_ brightly.

"Fine, dammit," Lovino gave up. "We can do it, but only under some conditions!" Antonio didn't really think that the other would give in so easily, so he was prepared to face them.

"Okay!"

"First! I plan the heist, and I decide where, when, and what we hit. Only an actual member of the guild can take a job anyway, so this isn't too much."

"That sounds fair."

"Second! It will be a while until we actually strike, so until then we keep up with the pick-pocketing." Antonio was about to protest (he didn't want to do boring stuff!)but Lovino steamrolled over his beginning argument. "Hey, we need to keep up a quota going; Boss'll be pissed if we don't bring in anything for who knows how long, and I don't want to wake up with a mad Danish man over my bed with an ax, do you?" Antonio paled, shaking his head rapidly. "That's what I thought.

"Third, I'm still going to keep you practicing all your skills. Since you'll be both working _and_ practicing, just leave the actual planning of the heist to me. I'll tell you when you're needed; until then, I expect you to work your ass off. Got it, bastard?"

Antonio was really itching to go ahead and prove himself, but he knew that he had to keep to the basics for right now. Lovino had told him stories about previous heist's that he had been a part of, and some of the chilling tales about how he almost was shot, captured, or worse if it hadn't been for the basics still haunted Antonio. He didn't like that Lovino had come that close to death, and he didn't want them both to get in trouble if it turned out that Antonio had made some mistake or another that could have easily been avoided. So, reluctantly, he nodded. Lovino released a breath, nodding to himself. He stood up from his chair, not really paying attention to Antonio.

"Right; you keep up with your lock-picking," he gestured to a rather large pile of locks that Antonio still had to go through. "In the meantime, I have some planning to do…"

* * *

><p>The next few days were some of the busiest that Lovino had ever had. Not only did he have to convince Lars to let him take on a bigger job, he also had to train Antonio, supplement their income by pick-pocketing (something he and Antonio had turned into something of a game; who ever could get the most in one day would be the winner), <em>and<em> he had to plan the upcoming heist! It was all Lovino could do to make time for everything. One thing that he had noticed, though, was that it wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be. Part of that was because of Antonio.

Lovino had to admit it; it was actually…nice, being around Antonio. The other was funny, strong, a good guy to hang around, handso—

Lovino was not going to finish that thought.

The point was, Antonio made for a nice distraction every now and then. It was kind of nice knowing that Lovino had a partner out there that would watch his back for him when he couldn't. Admittedly, with his current level of skill it was more like Lovino was protecting _Antonio_, but the feeling was still the same. Even the Boss had complemented them on a job well done (in other words, bringing him a lot of money. And not hitting on his sister).

Antonio was also a quick learner. For all the stupid jokes that Lovino made about him, Antonio still usually picked things up quicker than most others in his position. By the end of the first week, he had already mastered how to walk somewhat silently. Usually it took three times as long as that to make Lovino think someone was passable, and that was pushing it. Antonio had mastered lock-picking (simple locks to be sure, but it was still a start) by the end of the second week. Even the incident with the manikin lasted only three days. The main things that Antonio seemed to have trouble with was that he wanted to just skip everything and head straight for the big stuff. Lovino understood this perfectly, since he was just the same if not worse than Antonio was about that. But Lovino had also mastered patience (it took a long time, and several angry Swiss bullets to learn that particular lesson), and he knew when it was time to go over the basics. He may not like it, but Lovino still woke up early in the morning to practice his skills. He did _not_ want to be remembered as 'the master thief who was caught because he couldn't pick a simple lock'. Oh, no. That honor could go to someone else, thank you very much.

After a week of planning and training Antonio by throwing anything he could at him skill-wise (and sometimes literally; he may be friends with the man, but Antonio still got on his last nerve way too easily), Lovino finally deemed Antonio ready. After seeing Antonio's smile light up his whole face, and maybe even the warehouse, Lovino couldn't help but feel that it had all been worth it.

Their next job was to steal the Imperial Jade Tea Set from a Finishing School over in the next city. The Tea Set by itself was valuable, but from what Lovino knew of the job, Lars wanted to punish the school that had kicked his sister (and Vash's, now that Lovino thought about it) out, claiming 'they didn't want any _street rats_ in our school!' Lovino would not lose any sleep over this one. Anyone who would _dare_ call Emma and Lili 'street rats' needed to be robbed from; that was Lovino's personal philosophy.

…what? He liked girls.

* * *

><p>The night of the heist finally arrived. Both he and Antonio were dressed well in black and were keeping to the shadows. Antonio was still humming his song, and no matter how many times Lovino hissed at him to <em>shut the fuck up already, goddammit!<em> Antonio still wouldn't. Oh, Antonio would be silent for a few minutes but he would just as quickly start up again. Sometimes even in the exact same spot that he had left off. Lovino had a feeling that he was doing it just to annoy him and get them caught, no matter how many times Antonio said that he really, honestly had no clue that he was doing it!

Lovino groaned. The last thing he needed on a job like this, or any job for that matter, was for his partner to have an unconscious verbal tic. Lovino was glad that he never had anyone like that in his personal life, though he also wished he could do without one in his professional life, too. Shaking his head, he led Antonio cautiously through the grounds of the Finishing School. Lovino curled his lip in disgust as he looked around. For such a 'high-class' place, their security sucked balls. _This_ was the place that had called Emma and Lili 'street rats'? What were their standards based on, opposite day or something? They had their priorities on backwards, as far as Lovino was concerned.

Even if the security sucked, it was still a fancy-looking place. There wasn't even a blade of grass out of place. Lovino wondered if the people who ran this place would have an aneurism if he pissed on one of their 'pristine, white' buildings…. But they had already reached the side door that they were going to use. Oh well; maybe there would be time afterwards. Lovino gestured for Antonio to come closer and examine the door for himself. Lovino had already seen the flimsy little alarm cord and he wanted to know if Antonio saw it too.

Antonio was uncomfortably close to Lovino as he examined the door. Lovino was grateful for the cool, dark night that evening. Again, he felt like his body was on fire and his face felt even worse. Lovino didn't know why (ignored it, more like), but every time he was in the same room with Antonio now his face would get uncomfortably red. It was really starting to become a distraction, and distractions were one thing that Lovino could not afford in his line of work. Lovino took a shuddering breath and forced himself to concentrate on Antonio…'s work. Yeah, that was it.

…Lovino _really_, really didn't want to think about what any of this meant right now. There were more important things, like making sure they made it through this heist successfully. Antonio turned back to him, a slight smile on his face.

"They have a wire going across the top of the door here," Antonio pointed out. "But it's not that great. If we cut it, then we'll be fine."

"Have you checked to see if it was a dummy wire?" Lovino questioned. Admittedly he hadn't given as good a check for one either, but Lovino kind of doubted that there would be one there. After his years of experience in pulling off heists like this one, Lovino had gotten to have a kind of _feeling_ for if there was extra security or not. Lovino figured that if the school was stingy enough on just the perimeter fences (you know, the ones that were supposed to be the _main line of defense_) then he kind of doubted that they would have a dummy wire set up on one of their doors. After Antonio's careful analysis, he was proven to be correct. Lovino really couldn't figure out why this place had kicked out Emma and Lili; their brothers were notorious for stinginess, he was sure that those two would have gotten along fine here.

After cutting the wire the two made their way into the building. It was actually one of the main halls on campus; the trophy hall if Lovino had to guess. The row upon row of trophies kind of gave it away. Lovino held back Antonio when it looked like he was just going to waltz into the room. Lovino frowned at him and gestured at him to check around for traps and other means of security. One of the things that the School boasted about was all their trophies and other artifacts; there may have only been the one wire by the side door, but that didn't mean that the rest of the room wasn't defended well. Sure enough, after checking carefully Lovino spotted an infrared trip wire across all of the doorways leading into the trophy room. If Antonio had walked another two steps he would have set it off. Lovino mentally cataloged this away for later observation. He was definitely going to remind Antonio about all of his mistakes later, and maybe even have another session on how to avoid them. Lovino paused for a moment and shuddered imperceptivity.

Great. He was turning into a _tutor_ of all things! Where had the mighty Lovino gone? What had Antonio done to him to change him like this?

Shaking the feeling off, Lovino carefully led Antonio past the trip wire. They didn't encounter anymore security measures, thankfully. The school must have thought that the infrared wires were all they needed. Amateurs. Once inside the hall, Lovino and Antonio split up again. It would be quicker this way to cover the whole hall, especially since the school seemed to like flaunting their wealth and prestige by building the largest buildings that they could and then placing low-standard, sub-par security measures to safeguard everything. After walking down a particularly interesting aisle of memorabilia and artifacts (there were actually some really interesting paintings and sculptures here; actually, Lovino was sure that he had stolen that one before…) Lovino finally found the Imperial Jade Tea Set that they were looking for. Carefully, Lovino set down the bag that he had brought specially for the Tea Set. It had padding and stuffing inside so that the Tea Set wouldn't break; he had a feeling that his Boss wouldn't be too happy with him if he brought home broken merchandise. Lovino looked at the case that the Tea Set was in. At first glance it didn't seem that impressive—even Antonio would have been able to break into it. But Lovino was a paranoid bastard and everything had been going way too smoothly so far.

Lovino brought out his gloves, the kind that you could get almost anywhere but were still easy to use (for this kind of thing). Gently, Lovino started feeling the glass and examining the mechanism that was keeping everything locked up right. He had almost brought out his tools when he noticed, really noticed, what kind of lock was in place.

Those fucking bastards…

Now it made sense why the security before was so crappy—it was all they could probably afford after buying _this_. It was the newest model lock out now. It was new, and because of this it was hard to come by. Even Lovino hadn't yet been able to get his hands on one yet. He had no idea how to crack this. He wouldn't even know where to begin; regardless, it would take way too long to even try to start on it. With a sinking feeling, Lovino took a closer look at the locks on the other display cabinets around him. They all had the same kind of lock. Lovino swore. How much money did the school even _have_ to be able to buy this many? Lovino was amazed that they had even been able to put in infrared trip wires on all the doors. Why hadn't the school declared bankruptcy yet? Lovino didn't even want to think about how the school had managed to get their hands on so much money. Suddenly, he was very, _very_ glad that Emma and Lili weren't attending school here anymore.

Lovino glanced at his wristwatch. He had spent too much time occupied with the locks. Lovino had calculated that they only had so much of a window of opportunity to operate, and that window was closing fast. He stared uneasily at the glass panel. He really didn't want to do this, but he could see no other way. Looking around, he spotted Antonio on the other side of the room looking at a strangely decorated face mask.

"Antonio!" Lovino hissed. Antonio spun around, glancing curiously at Lovino. Lovino motioned wildly for Antonio to get over to where he was. Antonio looked confused, but he complied. When Antonio reached him, Lovino motioned for Antonio to take the crowbar that Lovino shoved towards him and break the glass (plastic, more like) case in front of them. Judging by the look on Antonio's face he didn't know why they were doing this instead of focusing on the plan, but he didn't say anything. Lovino was grateful; they didn't have the time to explain everything. Lovino stepped back as Antonio lifted the crowbar and gave a few test hits. When it looked like Antonio had found the right amount of force to use, he swung the crowbar. The case shattered, setting off alarm after alarm. Lovino had guessed that that might happen. He didn't know much about the new lock, but it made sense that it would set off alarms like that if the case was broken. They had maybe only three minutes, if that, before the authorities swooped down on them.

As Lovino was carefully, but quickly, loading the Tea Set into the awaiting bag, he noticed something. Rather, he _heard_ something. Lovino turned to Antonio in horror. The other man was humming again. The idiot! If anyone heard him, then it would lead to a quick identification later! It was like the bastard was begging for them to get caught! Growling, Lovino stuffed as much of the Tea Set as he could into the bag before grabbing Antonio's arm and running out of the building. They ended up leaving one of the cups behind, but Lovino didn't care at the moment. The hardest part was happening now—the getaway.

* * *

><p>Antonio had a feeling that he had messed up. It might have been because of the glares that Lovino sent his way, and because of the silent treatment he was also getting from the Italian. His feeling could have also been because he had been summoned by the Boss himself after their botched heist. The Boss (Antonio <em>really<em> hated having to call him that for some reason) hadn't even yelled at him. Instead, he had stared at him with cold, emotionless eyes set in his cold, emotionless face. Antonio didn't even know how long he had been standing there, just getting stared at, when the Boss—_Lars_, Antonio told himself reassuringly, had said that he could go. Antonio figured that he wasn't as mad as he probably would have been since he and Lovino _did_ manage to steal most of the Tea Set for him. Lars made it a point to drink from it every day, in fact. Antonio also thought that maybe he wasn't so upset because Lovino had told him some information on some new kind of lock that they hadn't been able to examine before. Antonio didn't really get it, but as long as he and Lovino weren't in trouble he didn't mind.

Now, the only hard part left was to get Lovino to forgive him for whatever he did wrong. Antonio was just so confused. The job had been going perfectly (okay, so Antonio had almost led them into a trap, but other than that...) until he had to break the case with a crowbar that Lovino had somehow managed to smuggle with them to the job site. This is when things went a little hazy for him. According to the plan, Lovino was supposed to pick the locks and then they would collect the Tea Set and leave. But somehow they couldn't do that this time. Antonio understood that; he knew that sometimes things happened that you couldn't really predict. But as they were loading up the Tea Set Lovino had suddenly gone ghostly pale, grabbed Antonio by the arm and then pulled him towards the exit. They hadn't even finished packing up all of the Tea Set! Antonio had managed to grab a few pieces and stuffed them into his pockets, but they had left a cup behind. Ever since, Lovino hadn't bothered to talk to him. That had been a week ago; Antonio was left with practicing by himself. He had a feeling that Lovino was probably upset over more than just leaving the cup behind, but he didn't know what that reason was.

The only way he knew of finding out was to go over and talk to him!

Antonio carefully walked over to where Lovino was lounging in his chair, staring idly out of a dusty old window. He didn't know why he was being so careful around the Italian; come on, it was just Lovino! But that thought didn't really help him feel better. When he was three feet away, the Italian still hadn't looked over at him. Antonio took that as a bad sign, but he was used to Lovino ignoring him by now. Well, he didn't think that he would ever be _used_ to it, since it still hurt every time he tried to engage the other into any form of conversation. But, he had at least expected to be ignored. Antonio only took this as further sign that things needed to change around there, one way or another.

"Lovino?" The Italian didn't even twitch. Antonio frowned but continued anyway. He wasn't just going to quit like that. "I get that you're angry at me, but I don't know why. Is it because I left that cup behind?" Antonio knew that that probably wasn't the reason, but it was all he had to go on for now. It didn't hurt to go ahead and cover all the bases, just in case. Lovino finally looked at Antonio when he said this. He had to stop himself from smiling since they were technically in a tense situation at the moment; it was hard, though, since Lovino's startled face was adorable beyond belief.

"Are you stupid or something?" Okay, maybe he wasn't _that_ adorable. He really did have a vicious tongue, too. Antonio didn't have to fake the pout that was on his face. "Of course I'm not mad about that. I was right there too, I could have grabbed it if we really needed it, you know."

"Then…why haven't you stopped glaring at me since we got back?" Antonio asked. "Or even spoken to me? This is the first time in a week that I've actually heard you talk to me, Lovi."

"Well, maybe I… wait, did you just call me 'Lovi'?" Lovino asked with a strange look on his face. Again, Antonio had the feeling that he might have just done something completely stupid.

"Um…yes?" Lovino only rolled his eyes. Antonio was starting to feel hope again.

"Whatever," Lovino muttered. He stood up from the chair and stretched. Antonio caught himself staring at Lovino's lean body. He wondered what it would be like to be able to rub his hands over that body… Lovino staring at Antonio made him jump back to the present. He coughed a little, hoping to hide some of his discomfort.

"So if you're not mad about that," Antonio said quickly, hoping to distract Lovino. "Then why are you? You even admitted you were mad when you said that you 'weren't mad about that'." Lovino frowned, but it didn't seem to be about Antonio's staring from earlier. He had a slightly faraway look in his eye, remembering something.

"You're humming," he said finally. "You didn't even notice, did you? Now _or_ back there at the school." Antonio blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. Now that Lovino pointed it out, he did notice that he had been humming that same song from before. With growing awareness, he wondered how long that had been going on. And Lovino said that he had been humming at the school too? That explained the look Lovino had on his face before they left. If anyone besides Lovino had heard him… everyone around town knew Antonio by now. If his humming really did happen without him noticing… it wouldn't be that hard to figure out whom it was that had stolen the Tea Set. Antonio thought back to when he had had to meet with Lars. The Dutch man had only stared at him, which Antonio had thought odd at the time. But if Antonio had been humming then… Lovino would have had to have told Lars everything about what had happened at the school, including that they had had to leave early because of Antonio's humming. He was probably listening for Antonio to start humming, and when he did Lars had most likely dismissed him then.

This was bad. From all the stories that Lovino had told him before, Antonio knew how bad it was to have an unconscious tic like that in their line of work. It could mean prison if there was a witness who could identify him, or even life or death if someone had a grudge against them. Admittedly, Antonio's humming hardly seemed that bad at the moment since there were worse things that he could have as a tic. But it was still bad enough. He could end up jeopardizing Lovino if someone ended up getting the two confused. He could even end up accidentally bringing the police in on their hideout if they were able to get enough probable cause out of his humming. Antonio may have been over thinking things, but it never hurt in this case to be too careful.

He was surprised that Lars had kept him around. He was even _more_ surprised that Lovino had decided to keep him, too. By now they were more than just an apprentice and a teacher; they were partners in crime, literally. At least, Antonio had considered them to be partners. It may have been different for Lovino, but that could have changed given time. Now, though, Antonio had probably jeopardized this relationship before it even began.

Just like with Francis…

"Hey, you okay?" Lovino asked. Antonio jumped slightly when he felt Lovino's hand on his shoulder. He was frowning and looking at him with concern. "Don't beat yourself up too bad," he said, almost as if he had seen Antonio's thoughts himself. "It's not as bad as you're thinking."

"How?" Antonio asked guiltily. "I'm putting everyone in danger because of my _stupid_ habit. I should just-"

"Leave?" Lovino finished for him, a sudden fire in his eyes. "Leave, and just forget about all of this? About all of these people who are depending on you? About _me_?" Lovino paused and glared at Antonio, really glared. "Listen here, bastard. I did not fucking waste my time and energy to teach you how to be a thief, and a damn good one at that, just for you to get all mopey and walk away! Oh, no. You are going to take responsibility, you hear me dammit?"

Antonio blinked and could do nothing but smile and laugh. Lovino always made him feel better, even if he didn't know it. True, usually it was Lovino that had made Antonio feel bad in the first place, but he always made up for it in the end. It was only fair, Antonio had decided. Lovino grumbled, looking over to the side. His face was red again, something that Antonio always looked forward to. He didn't know why, but Lovino's red face always reminded him of something…

A sobering thought struck Antonio and made him quit laughing. Lovino looked back at his face curiously, probably wondering what it was that had made him stop. Antonio looked into Lovino's eyes worryingly.

"Lovi, even if I don't leave then what good am I? I want to be able to do more jobs like the one we just did (you know, without the fail at the end), but it'll just get more dangerous as time goes by. What use will I be now?" Lovino snorted, not looking concerned at all.

"Is that what you're worried about?" he rolled his eyes. "There's still pick-pocketing, you know. It doesn't matter if you hum, or whistle even, since the streets are always so noisy anyway. Plus, you're good at pick-pocketing." Lovino said this last part in a softer voice, his face turning red again. Apparently he wasn't used to giving complements; Antonio felt flattered, but he was still a little put out.

"But I don't like pick-pocketing," Antonio heard himself whine. "It's boring, not any fun, and it's not even a little challenging!" A spark of anger lit in Lovino's eyes as he glared at Antonio again. He just couldn't seem to stop messing things up with Lovino it seemed.

"I like pick-pocketing," he said in a quiet, dangerous voice that challenged Antonio to try and contradict what he was saying. "It's my specialty, and I'm fucking _Beast_ at it."

"You are," Antonio agreed. He wasn't even saying that to try and get on Lovino's good side, either. He had seen firsthand that unless he had two X chromosomes then Lovino _had_ no good side. Instead, what Lovino had was serious skill when it came to picking people's pockets. Lovino had the kind of skill for that line of work, almost as if he was a natural born just for picking pockets, that Antonio had once upon dreamed of having when it came to pulling off bigger jobs. "I'm not saying that you're not any good," he tried to sooth. "I'm just saying that I don't think its right for me. You like pick-pocketing and I like stealing actual objects from actual buildings. It doesn't mean that one's better over the other, just that we have different likes and interests."

Lovino regarded him doubtfully, but he gave into Antonio's praise. Maybe he should start praising Lovino more, if it meant that he could avoid arguments—or at least, a punch in the gut. Lovino sighed and walked over to the area that they had set up as a makeshift kitchen, complete with minifridge, gas-grill stove and plug-in electric waffle-maker. Antonio didn't know why they had a waffle maker, but all Lovino would tell him was that it was a gift from someone. Lovino opened up the minifridge and pulled out two tomatoes, one of which he threw over at Antonio. _For_ Antonio, he hoped.

"Fine, so you want to be an 'actual' thief," Lovino said as he bit into the tomato. "There's no reason why you can't. You just need to be extra careful next time. The only reason why I freaked out was because you're still new at all of this. With more experience, I think you'll be fine." Lovino looked at Antonio straight in the eye. "I even talked about this with the Boss, and he agrees with me. However, it looks like there isn't anyone else available to teach you exclusively how to be a good thief since they're all busy. Looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer, so you better suck it up, bastard!"

Antonio smiled, laughing as he bit into his own tomato. It tasted sweeter than ever, for some reason.

* * *

><p>Antonio did indeed become a good thief in his own right. His humming didn't even work against him as he and Lovino had thought at first; instead, when his exploits and thefts were talked about in the papers and on news stations it was mentioned as being 'ghostly' and 'unearthly', adding to his reputation of never having been caught or even sighted—the Singing Phantom, they called him.<p>

Together, Antonio being the Singing Phantom and Lovino being a Master Thief who specialized in pick-pocketing, the two became the best team of thieves that Lars had. Some speculated that this was the only reason why Antonio was still around, since he and the boss were never able to actually get along.

After a few months of feeling the unresolved sexual tension around the two, Emma finally came over to the warehouse one day (a place that had been staked out for a long time as Their hideout) and demanded that they get together already; it was clear for everyone to see, including her brother, that they liked each other. Antonio had been awestruck, never having believed that it was possible for someone to like him back the way that he liked them. Lovino was just confused, since he was still in denial over what his feelings meant. Emma had sighed and 'borrowed' Lovino so she could tell him exactly what his feelings meant. When he had come back to the warehouse, Lovino demanded that Antonio kiss him already, dammit. Antonio happily obeyed.

Because of their job status the two never got married but they didn't mind. To them, they didn't need anybody to say that they were together forever and all that jazz; plus, everyone else knew after a short time spent around them that they were OFF LIMITS to everyone except each other.

Lars was eventually arrested after all, but not for theft or being a criminal mastermind like how everyone had thought. No, instead he was arrested for smoking illegal drugs in front of a cop. Matthias came around later to bail him out, and the incident was never mentioned again. The only thing that Lars would say about jail, even to his sister, is that he was able to set up another line of criminal activity for his Thief Guild, one that operated even within the prison system.

Emma _did_ get married, but shortly after her marriage her husband was found floating face-down in the river. It was unclear over what had actually happened to him, but the general consensus was that either Lars or Lovino, or possibly even both, had something to do with it. Neither said a word, and Emma refused to speak with either for a year. That was the harshest year that any member of the guild had faced in a long time.

When Lovino and Antonio finally reached the age that they declared was 'too old' to work any longer, they retired from active duty and set up a nice residence in the suburbs of a city that was far away. If Lars had still been in charge of the guild they might not have been able to, but he had retired before then thanks to his sister's urging. The, at the time, current guild leader had also tried to stop them, but Matthias was still around. They were able to leave quietly. Lovino and Antonio lived out the rest of their days in easy retirement, thanks to the money they had saved up, and were quite happy and content with their lives.

Antonio still hummed that song even up into his old age. All he would tell Lovino about it when asked was that it reminded him of past friends who had died before their time. Lovino never found out what this meant, and he never asked.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Fifteen—Next up! All love is unrequited…<em>


	16. Life 16 Goodbye My Almost Lover

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 16; Goodbye My Almost Lover  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Lovina's been in love with Anita for years now. Will Anita return her feelings?  
><em>_Rating__: T, because I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to write anything less. *sigh*  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. Also, I feel I should point out that the idea of last chapter (Thief Guild Newbie!Antonio, Master Thief!Lovino) was given to me by my sister. So, there's that credit given. On another note, I don't own any of the songs mentioned in this chapter (like the title, etc.)  
><em>_Warning__: Angst, unrequited love, my bad writing skills, maybe a brief coherency issue? I'm not quite sure, complete Nyotalia!, chapter shortness, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Anita, Lovina, Felicia, Julia, Marianne (Fem!France), Louise (Fem!Germany), mentions of Fem!Austria, someone who may or may not be an OC (could be another Nyotalia character).  
><em>_Pairings__: One-sided Lovina/Anita, Julia/Fem!Austria, Louise/Felicia, Anita/mysterious character.  
><em>_Word Count__: 2, 925.  
><em>_Notes__: I'm sure you're going to be upset with me for this one. But, well, when I read that Fem!Spain thinks of Romana 'like a daughter', I was deeply upset. And I knew I had to add that in here at least once. On another note, I was hit with the inspiration to randomly update this past Wednesday instead of waiting because it was Pi Day (3.14, Fourteenth of March, etc.). Then I remembered what this chapter was. Yeah, there went my buzz. Still, I am quite happy with how this one turned out, though._

* * *

><p>Lovina sat quietly at the little café table, looking out at the busy street next to her. She was trying her hardest to ignore the other people at her table, but they had always been hard to ignore. She wasn't sure who was breaking through to her the most—Julia Beilschmidt, who was telling anyone who would listen and several who wouldn't about how her Austrian girlfriend was finally letting her move in so they 'could get down to business easier,' Marianne Bonnefoy, who was cooing at anyone who would pass by as she sipped on her expensive wine, or Anita Hernandez Carriedo, who was showing off her engagement ring—it was, after all, her engagement party that they were at. Lovina should have been happy. Anita was her best friend, and this was one of the happiest days of the Spanish girl's life. There was just one problem.<p>

Lovina was in love with Anita. She wasn't the one who was engaged to her, either.

She looked down. She really didn't want to be there. But, as Anita's 'daughter-figure', she was obligated to stay and try and look happy. Lovina had never been that good at pretending. Ironically, though, she was well known for having a somewhat angry/sad/generally unhappy expression. It was just as well. What Lovina really wanted to do at the moment was curl up in a ball and cry; trying to smile happily at the love of her life as she showed off the ring that meant she belonged to someone else was a little too much for her.

Lovina sighed and closed her eyes. Mentally she counted down the passing minutes. She only had to stay for another hour and then she could go. She might even get lucky and Felicia would call, asking her where something was. Lovina could easily use the excuse that she didn't trust her sister so she had to leave. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like a possibility. Ever since Felicia had started dating Louise, Julia's extremely German sister, Felicia started depending on Lovina less and less. If her sister ever needed anything, it would usually be Louise that would help her out. Lovina opened her eyes and scowled.

Everyone was leaving her.

"-yeah, and—Lovina! Is something wrong?"

Lovina jumped in her seat, startled by the sound of Anita's voice. In her musing, she had almost forgotten where she was; Anita never let that happen for long, though. Lovina scoffed and looked back out at the traffic again.

"I'm just fine," she said. "Get back to your party; weren't you telling us about what colors you were going to be using for the wedding or something?" She didn't even have to look to see that Anita had brightened up again as she started rambling on about whether a passionate red was appropriate for the wedding hall or not.

* * *

><p><em>Ever since Lovina was nine years old, she had known that she was in love with Anita. The Spanish girl was two years older than she was and would come over sometimes with her two friends and babysit Lovina and her sister, Felicia. When Lovina told Anita about her feelings, Anita had smiled kindly and hugged her, saying that she loved Lovina as well—as a little sister. Or a daughter. Lovina had shaken her head and said that that wasn't what she meant. The look that Anita, Julia and Marianne gave her clearly said that they would humor her and go along with it. That was when Lovina swore to herself that she would keep her feelings to herself, at least until it was the right time to confess to Anita.<em>

_Ten years later and Lovina was still in love with Anita. It was hard, though, knowing that you were in love with another woman. As she grew older, Lovina learned about the different feelings that others had in relation to attraction to the same sex. Felicia had come out a year earlier at the age of fifteen, saying that she had a thing for Louise. Lovina would have been happy for her, except that it was Louise. She wasn't sure why, but she had never liked the German girl. She always gave her sister and Louise a hard time because of it and ever since people started thinking that she was homophobic. Lovina wanted to laugh. She was a lesbian just like her sister, and had even known she was before her sister did. But of course, it was Felicia that everyone paid attention to._

_At least, almost everyone._

_Anita was still very good friends with Lovina and her sister and would still come over to their house all the time. She would still bring her two friends with her, and Louise would end up coming over since both her girlfriend and older sister were there. Anita was still there for her, though. She would always be there to comfort Lovina when she was feeling down, or upset, or angry, or just in general not well. Every time that happened, Lovina could feel her love for Anita grow more and more._

_But Anita still only saw her as a daughter._

_That hurt the most. Lovina had to be by this beautiful, wonderful caring woman who did love her, just not in the way that Lovina did every single day. It hurt to know that her feelings would never be returned. But she still held out hope. It was the one thing that kept her from locking herself up in her bathroom and crying until she couldn't anymore. She had to believe that there was still hope for the two of them._

_Lovina would suggest that they go to a movie, or eat lunch or do something else together, just the two of them. Anita never suspected a thing, which was both relieving and disheartening. But Lovina kept faith; hopefully, if they spent more and more time together then Anita would develop feelings for her, too._

"_Do you even know if Anita is a lesbian too?" Marianne asked one afternoon. Lovina didn't know how the French girl knew about her feelings for Anita, nor did she even know why they were the only ones in her kitchen at the moment. Marianne was lounging casually against the kitchen island, gazing through half-lidded eyes over her wine glass at Lovina. She looked a little bored as Lovina was internally freaking out. Of all the people to find out, it had to be her! She was Anita's best friend, she would definitely tell her! It's not like she had any obligation to keep Lovina's secret or anything either._

"…_how did you know?" Lovina asked cautiously. Marianne scoffed, rolling her eyes._

"_How could I not? You're always giving Anita these moon-eyes and you always blush and start to fidget whenever she's right next to you," she said. Marianne took a sip of wine, savoring the taste like a true connoisseur. "Plus, you staring at her ass whenever you can was a big giveaway. You might want to be careful with that, Julchen almost found out you know." Lovina paled. If there was anyone even worse to find out, it would be Julia Beilschmidt. Marianne saw her expression and smiled somewhat matronly at her. "Don't worry, dear. I told her that you were actually staring at the person next to her's butt. I'm not even a little surprised that she bought it."_

_Lovina flushed red. This was so embarrassing. She really didn't want to be having this talk with Marianne; the girl was such a snob, she always made Lovina felt like she was being talked down to whenever they were in the same room together. She didn't know why Anita, or even Julia for that matter, was friends with her but strange things seemed to be happening with them it seemed._

"_Back on topic though, do you even know if Anita's a lesbian?" Marianne asked again. "Because you know, if she's not then there's no way that you will ever stand a chance." Lovina flinched again. She hadn't thought of that…_

"_Wouldn't you know?" she asked back. At this point, she would even seek help from the devil…I mean, Marianne. "You're her friend, so you would know, right?" Marianne tilted her head, staring haughtily out of the corner of her eye at Lovina._

"_And if I knew, why would I tell you? No, no, you need to learn these things for yourself, dear. They won't mean anything coming from me." Lovina scowled. She hated the French girl's personality, precisely because she did things like this. It almost seemed that she enjoyed toying with people, dangling a little bit of hope in front of them and then saying "oops, guess you'll have to do everything else yourself~"_

_She flushed when she realized what Marianne meant. How was she supposed to ask Anita something like that? She—she couldn't! Lovina couldn't just come up to the person she loved and ask…something like that. Anita may have been a little on the dense side, but surely even she would think that something was up if Lovina asked her if she was straight or not… right?_

"_It looks like you have some thinking to do," Marianne said as she finished off her glass. "Don't think too hard though, okay? I would hate to have something happen to that pretty little head of yours dear." With that, she left the room. It was for the best, since Lovina was a few seconds away from throwing something at her. She scowled at nothing. Marianne obviously thought that she wouldn't even try to approach Anita; she probably thought Lovina was a coward. Well, she would show her! Lovina narrowed her eyes. In a strange way, she had the French woman to thank for this. Now… now she would be able to tell Anita her feelings. Lovina blushed at the thought, a giddy smile on her face. She hoped that Anita liked her back. She knew that it wouldn't happen right away. But she had waited for ten years already; Lovina figured she could wait a little longer._

* * *

><p>Lovina had had enough just as her hour was up. She didn't want to hear how sweet Anita's fiancé was, nor did she want to hear about their honeymoon plans. Finally, she stood up. Her chair scraped against the floor uncomfortably. Just like that, Lovina had all eyes on her.<p>

"Lovi? Is something wrong?" Anita asked in her concerned, _motherly_ voice. It made Lovina want to sneer at the older woman but she held herself in check. Maybe it was the sympathetic look that Marianne was giving her. Maybe it was the fact that even after all of this, Lovina still didn't want to look like a fool in front of Anita. Either way, she felt a sobering clarity that allowed her to come up with a quick excuse to leave.

"I told Felicia I would be back soon," she lied easily. She leaned down to get her purse, hoping that Anita wouldn't catch the lie. "She said we'd do something later today together since we haven't seen each other in a while."

"Oh," Anita said, disappointment tingeing her voice. Lovina steadfastly looked the other direction. She didn't want to see the sad face that she had made Anita wear. She never, ever wanted to see Anita looking sad. "Well, that's good at least that you and your sister can spend time together. Tell her I said 'hi,' okay Lovi~?"

Lovina glanced back before she set off down the street, away from everything.

* * *

><p><em>Lovina fidgeted with her shirt hem. She had managed to get Anita to agree to come over for a nice talk, since they hadn't done so in a while. Anita had agreed eagerly and at once. She should be there soon, any minute actually. Lovina tried to fight off the giddy smile on her face. She had shoed her sister out of the house for the day so they wouldn't even be interrupted accidentally. That would be very inconvenient if certain…things…happened later. Lovina blushed. She really couldn't wait to see Anita and ask… well, first off what she thought of Lovina. Then what she thought about dating other girls. And then finally, what she thought about… <em>_**dating**__ Lovina. _

_She put a hand over her heart. Even without it, she could still feel her heart beating rapidly, almost too fast. But she couldn't help how excited she felt. This had only been the moment that she had been waiting for, for ten years now. It would feel so good to finally be able to say those three words out loud to her—and this time without Anita misunderstanding!_

_The doorbell rang. Lovina shot up from her couch and hurried to the door, though she tried to make it seem like she was feeling casual. After quickly checking her appearance in the mirror, Lovina opened the door. Standing there with one of the largest smiles that she had ever seen on a person was Anita. As soon as the other saw her, Anita launched herself at Lovina, enveloping her in a hug._

"_Oh, Lovi, you'll never guess what happened to me! I'm so happy!" Anita cried. Lovina was trying, in vain, to quell the blush that was steadily heating up her face._

"_O-oh?" she said, awkwardly patting the older woman on the back. Anita pulled away, smile still on her face. Lovina couldn't help herself and started smiling too. Things were looking good so far. If they could both just keep up this good atmosphere…_

_That was when Anita lifted up her hand, showing Lovina the neat little diamond situated on a gold band that was wrapped around her finger. That was when Lovina's words plunged to the bottom of her stomach._

"_¡Sí! I'm getting married, Lovi!"_

* * *

><p>I was thinking about you<br>Thinking about me  
>Thinking about us<br>And what we gonna be  
>Open my eyes<br>And it was only Just a Dream

—Just a Dream by Nelly

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Sixteen—Next up! We gotta get back to Hogwarts~!<em>


	17. Life 17 A Magical Love Story

_Title: 100 Lifetimes  
>Chapter Title: Life 17; A Magical Love Story<br>Summary: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
>Chapter Summary: Hogwarts Student!Antonio x Lovino; Lovino's first year at Hogwarts is stressful enough without Antonio always bugging him.<br>Rating: T for language, etc. You should know this by now…  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. Also, it should be mentioned I don't own Harry Potter, either. He belongs to J. K. Rowling.<br>Warning: Language, chapter length, mentions of things in Harry Potter-land that aren't mentioned in the books (ask me or my sister, b4ndg33k, if you're confused on anything), but are apparently cannon, mentions of the random things that go through my head when I get ideas, my bad writing skills, Lovino and Feliciano being twins, etc.  
>Characters: (Oh boy) Antonio, Lovino, Feliciano, Kiku, Grandpa Romulus, a few OC's that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things, Francis, Gilbert, Ludwig, Ari, Matthew, Alfred, Arthur, Natalya (Belarus), Katyusha (Ukraine), Ivan, XiaoLeon Wang (Hong Kong), Yao, mentions of Denmark (but not as a nation); Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fred and George Weasley, Percy Weasley, Molly Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore (can't forget about him), Draco Malfoy, um…I think that's it.  
>Pairings: AntonioLovino, slight Ludwig/Feliciano, Gilbert/Natalya, and Francis/Ivan. Yes, in that order :3.  
>Word Count: 11,189.<br>Notes: I really have no idea how these chapters get to be so long. I think it's because, in this case at least, my sister and I had already started talking about a random idea that we liked with this crossover. So, pretty much most of the things in here get a half-credit over to my sis. Also, technically instead of Waldo it should be Wally, but since I'm American I'm using Waldo in here. I hope you enjoy! ^_^;_

_On another note, if there's a character you want to see more of/in general, please suggest him/her/it (I'm looking at you, Flying Leaf Bunny)! I'm running out of ideas…_

_Yet another note: this chapter's idea was suggested by both a reviewer and my sister. I hope it meets both of your standards to what you were expecting~_

* * *

><p>Lovino supposed he should have been glad that he got his letter. Both he and his brother would be able to attend Hogwarts now, a supposedly prestigious school for magic, witchcraft and wizardry. Considering his and his brother's personalities, and how well they were able to do anything really, it was a wonder that they were even able to get accepted. So yes, Lovino supposed that he should have felt glad that he was able to achieve this status of 'going to Hogwarts'.<p>

However, Lovino and Feliciano hadn't even known until that owl flew in the window one day during breakfast that they were even magic. According to the letter, that happened sometimes if your parents were both 'muggles,' they called it. But after a momentary freak-out by their father, several happy tears and 'that's my babies!' from their mother and some heavy shoulder-pats from their proud Grandfather, though how he got there was a complete mystery to Lovino, he and his brother learned the truth.

Apparently, magic _did_ run in their family. Specifically, on their mother's side of the family. Grandpa Romulus apparently had magic. Every single person in his family had magic, and were apparently well-known in the magical world. However, their mother had been born without it. Since she didn't quite fit in with the magical world, their mother had married a 'muggle' man (their father; he was not happy with this little announcement). They had been blessed, she said, with two of the most adorable little boys that she could ever hope for. There had been no reason at all to think that they would end up with the gift of magic as well. Before either boy realized quite what was happening, their grandfather had whisked them away to London.

Without traveling by airplane. Or train. Or bus. Or even by car.

And without passports.

Yeah. Lovino didn't really want to repeat the process of 'apparating' but Feliciano pointed out that they would have to do it again to get back to Italy. Sometimes, Lovino just hated his life. Their grandfather took them to some pub and led the way through, waving and joking with various people that he met. Lovino had never seen any of these people before, but they were all staring straight at him and his brother. Lovino scowled, a default expression. Feliciano had the exact opposite reaction: he smiled and waved at everyone, making the crowd watching him fall instantly for his charms. Lovino wasn't even that jealous. After the past hour that he had just had, he was A-OK with Feliciano stealing everyone's attention for once. Romulus stood in the middle of the bar, basking in the shared attention. He had a hand place on each of his grandsons' shoulders as he proudly showed them off.

"This is Lovino and Feliciano," he introduced. "They're my adorable grandsons, and they just got their letters from Hogwarts! Without even knowing they were wizards or about magic or anything! Aren't they so clever~?" he cooed. A few people smiled here and there, finding Romulus's devotion to his grandchildren delightful. Lovino even saw a few women do a double take when he introduced them as his grandsons. Lovino had stopped thinking this was odd a long time ago. Grandpa Romulus had looked younger than Lovino's own _father_ for a few years now. He hadn't know what the man's secret was before, but now that Lovino knew about magic he had a vague idea what it was.

"Ve~ Grandpa Romulus, why are we in a bar in London?" Feliciano asked cutely. Romulus took a moment to squeal over how adorable is precious grandbaby was before answering as he led them out the back door.

"We're here to get your books!" he said. Romulus looked as excited as Lovino had a feeling he should be experiencing right now given the right circumstances. "Since you two clever boys are going to Hogwarts, we have to get you everything you need. For instance, spell books, a wand, fashionable robes to make the girls (and maybe a few boys) wild, an owl or two, that sort of thing."

Lovino frowned. "But Grandpa, we don't have any money to pay for any of this. We don't even know what books to get either… and who said anything about us going to this stupid school?" he protested as his grandfather tapped on a few random bricks. "We don't even know the first thing about it except 'it's a magic school! And it supposedly exists! And you can go! Aren't you lucky~!' What if we don't even want to go?" Romulus was well used to his oldest precious grandbaby's pessimism by now, so he merely tapped the last brick and smiled at him.

"Well, then you would miss out on being able to see more of this kind of thing," he said as the archway revealed itself, showing the twins the impressive view of Diagon Alley. Judging by the slack-jawed expressions on Feliciano and Lovino's faces, they were well looking to sign up for Hogwarts. "As for money, don't worry about it; Grandpa's loaded and more than willing to spend every last Knut on the both of you."

* * *

><p>After buying some really flattering robes (that Grandpa Romulus had flirted for; both pairs were half-off), buying their spell books (again, thanks to Grandpa Romulus' flirting they were able to get a sizable discount), a few other things they would need like potion ingredients (I think it would be better to list the places that Grandpa Romulus didn't flirt at and receive a discount—none), it was time for the twins to buy their wands.<p>

Outside of Ollivanders, Romulus stood outside, pouting as he watched his grandbabies head inside.

"Aren't you coming with us, Grandpa Romulus?" Feliciano asked when he noticed their grandfather wasn't with them. Grandpa Romulus sighed, looking forlornly at the shop.

"I'm afraid not, Feliciano," he said regrettably. "I've been given express orders by the owner not to set another foot inside of the store. I think you're going to have to pay full price for this one, boys."

"That's fine by me," Lovino said as he pushed is brother in. "I was tired of watching you prostitute yourself out for us." He closed the door to the echoing sounds of 'I'd do it anytime for you two!' Turning around, Lovino was amazed at the different atmosphere that was in this shop compared to the others. Maybe it was because his grandfather had been flirting with every pretty girl in sight, and a few boys who looked like pretty girls, but those other shops had seemed very vibrant and alive. This one, however, seemed much more solemn and dark. There were rows upon rows covered in dust and long, thin boxes that were stacked on top of one another. Lovino looked over at his brother who looked at him nervously. What were they supposed to do? Just grab a box and leave? Their grandfather said they would have to pay. How much were the wands? Did it even matter which one they took in the end, or was this another 'soul-searching duty' they had to do as wizards, like how their grandfather had talked to them about as they walked around the street eating gelato together?

Before either brother could make a move a figure came out of nowhere and approached them. Both brother's grabbed each other and started freaking out, not sure that they wanted to be wizards anymore. The man, who had come out from behind a row of shelves, eyed them curiously, but a little warily at the same time.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting either of you boys to come here," he admitted to them. "Not since your mother turned out not to have any magic of her own. I had hoped that I would be able to have a little peace away from your family…but I suppose if that grandfather of yours isn't in here making a nuisance of himself it's alright. So who wants to go first?"

"G-go first?" Feliciano asked timidly.

"Yes," the man nodded impatiently, ready to give the two their wands. "Who wants to get their wand first?" Lovino was about to suggest himself when his brother shot past him and started jumping up and down, chanting 'me, me!' as he went. Lovino sighed, leaning against a somewhat sturdy looking wall. This would take a while.

* * *

><p>After several almost-wands, the twins were finally able to leave the wand shop with their brand new wands. Lovino checked his watch while Feliciano was playing casually with his wand. They had been in the wand shop for about an hour already. Grandpa Romulus didn't have the attention span to wait for them that long… Sure enough, when Lovino looked up their grandpa was nowhere to be seen. Beside him, Feliciano was freaking out because his wand was shooting out sparks of light.<p>

"Ve… Lovi, I don't like my wand anymore!" he whined, stuffing the wand case in his shopping bag. "Do you think I can still be a wizard without using it?"

"Probably not," Lovino said carelessly. Where would their grandfather have gone…? He was about to ask his brother if he knew a way to contact Grandpa Romulus when Lovino heard their names being called by someone they didn't know.

Looking around Lovino was surprised to see three older boys coming over to them with suspicious-looking smiles on their faces. Lovino was immediately put on edge. They didn't know those boys; how did they know Lovino and Feliciano?

The boys were dressed in regular clothes but each boy had a different scarf on with different colors. Before their grandfather had disappeared, he mentioned that there were four houses at Hogwarts, and they each had their own colors. These three must be in different houses, then.

"Hey, your Lovino and Feliciano Vargas, right?" one of the older boys asked, the one with the slightly curly brown hair, the green eyes and the green and silver scarf. The boy with the blue and bronze scarf, the one who looked like an albino because of his platinum hair and red eyes (what the hell?) scoffed, shoving the green-scarfed boy.

"Duh, they look just like their grandfather and they're standing right here. Of course it's them." He rolled his eyes like 'can you believe this guy?'

"Who are you guys?" Feliciano asked curiously from behind Lovino. All three boys smiled again, and Lovino wasn't sure he felt very relieved.

"I am Francis Bonnefoy," the last boy said, the one with the blond hair, blue eyes and red and yellow scarf. "These are my friends, Gilbert Beilschmidt"—he pointed to the albino in the blue scarf—"and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo"—he pointed to the boy in the green scarf, who was still smiling…straight at Lovino. Well that was creepy. "We know your grandfather, and he told us to pick you up and bring you over to The Leaky Cauldron when you were finished getting your wands."

"How do we know that he really sent you?" Lovino asked shrewdly, narrowing his eyes. Francis seemed surprised and started chuckling under his breath.

"Wow, Lovi, you're grandpa was right!" Antonio said happily. "You really are paranoid." Lovino bristled at his words.

"Well wouldn't you be after the day we've had?" he snapped. "And what the hell's a 'Lovi'? Only my family can call me that, and even then only my brother and Grandpa Romulus are actually allowed!"

"Ve, we're special~!" Feliciano chirped happily.

"Not helping, Feliciano!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Gilbert yawned. "Your grandpa said this would happen, and that we were to tell you 'sorry, guys~! I got distracted by a pretty lady, and then it turned out that this pretty lady had a pretty husband, so I had to leave before anything happened~!' Whatever that means. Sounds like something Francis would do."

"It does not!" Francis said, offended. "_I_ wouldn't get caught." The twins had ignored the other three by now and were talking to each other.

"Ve… It does sound like something Grandpa Romulus would do, Lovi."

"Yeah, but can we really trust these guys? They seem like perverts—and not in the slightly well-meaning way that Grandpa Romulus is."

"That's true…"

"Um. You know we can hear you guys, right?" Gilbert asked. Lovino looked over at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, so?"

"Ve, how about you take us over there now? I get lost so easily, I have absolutely no idea where we are anymore!"

"Feliciano, that's not something to be proud of!"

Antonio laughed happily, putting an arm around the twins' shoulders. "You two are funny, you know that? I wonder which House you'll be put into~." He started walking off with them, leaving Feliciano and Lovino no choice but to walk with him. Lovino just hoped that he was taking them to their grandpa instead of kidnapping them or something. Antonio's two friends followed along behind them.

"How about we set up a betting pool?" Francis suggested. Gilbert cackled at the idea.

"Yeah, and we can get more people in on it, too! 'Which House will the two grandsons of Romulus Vargas get sorted into?' It'll be great!"

"Why did Grandpa Romulus change his last name to ours again?" Lovino muttered to his brother. Feliciano shrugged. They never really knew what their grandfather was thinking most of the time.

"I think he said something about it being cuter?"

Lovino snorted. "That sounds like him alright."

After a few more minutes of walking, ignoring the three boys with them as they talked to each other, and standing around looking uncomfortably as Gilbert would stop to chat with someone he knew and tell them about the Betting Pool, they finally managed to make it back to the pub where their grandfather was waiting for them. At least, they thought that he might have waiting for them at some point. Currently, he was flirting with one of the waitresses.

"_Grandpa_ Romulus," Lovino stressed as he and Feliciano walked over to him, ready to go home already. "We're done picking up everything. Can we go home now?" The waitress looked surprised when she heard that Romulus was a grandfather. Looking uneasy, she hurried off to get his check. Romulus sighed as he watched her leave.

"I really wish you two would stop cock-blocking me already," he mourned. Turning around, he was slightly surprised to see that Antonio, Francis and Gilbert were still there. "Oh. Thanks for picking up my grandbabies, I guess."

"Meh, we were bored anyways," Gilbert waved off. "By the way, _Opa_ says to stay away from him for forever."

"Forever?" Romulus pouted. Gilbert shrugged.

"That, or just stay off his lawn. You always end up messing something up, and then Luddy gets a stroke from the disorder of it all and starts bringing out the tape measure again. _No one_ wants Ludwig to bring out the tape measure again."

"Fine, fine," Romulus got up from the stool. "Well, boys, you ready to surprise your mother and your stiff-necked father with all the goodies you got today?"

"Yes~!" was Feliciano's cheerful reply. Lovino shrugged. Romulus smiled at them and placed a hand on their shoulders.

"Okay, then, we're off!" Before he disapparated, however, he turned to the trio of boys standing next to them. "Oh, and be a dear and cover my tab for me, okay?"

"Son of a-!"

And they were gone.

* * *

><p>The couple of months or so of waiting for school to start was spent getting the two brothers ready. Their mother had already packed away everything they could ever possibly need during their stay at Hogwarts. Their father harrumphed, ignoring everyone whenever the topic of magic was brought up. He still hadn't gotten used to the idea, and Grandpa Romulus certainly wasn't helping things. Grandpa Romulus had decided that the best thing for everyone was if he just moved in with them. That meant that they had to find a space in the house for him, but that just wasn't big enough he said. So, he made his own room. With magic. Luckily the twins' father was at work. When he came home, their mother lied and said that they had managed to find a construction company to make the room quickly in just a day. Their father was skeptical, but he was also ready to believe anything that had an explanation other than 'magic'.<p>

While their Grandpa was staying with them, he would tell Lovino and Feliciano stories about his triumphs and greatness in the wizarding world. Apparently, with his own hands (and wand), he had managed to singlehandedly take out every major bad-wizard in most of Europe, and in parts of Asia and Africa! He told them that his job was as an auror, so that meant that he was the best thing since sliced bread.

But, he also told them, there was _one_ person who was better than him. That was a boy about their age named Harry Potter who single-handedly defeated the dark lord when he was a baby. Feliciano and Lovino were in awe of this story, but also a little skeptical. How could someone defeat the dark lord when they were only a _baby_? They had asked their grandfather this, and he had patted them comfortingly on the heads.

"Don't worry," he told them. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but there are people out there that can do things like that. But I also know," he said seriously, "that if it had been the two of you in his situation, then it would be you that everyone talks about. In fact, I think that you two could even end up being _better_ wizards than this kid!"

The two were still a little unsure, but they said goodnight to their grandfather and got ready for bed. The next day would be a busy one, since they were leaving for Hogwarts then.

* * *

><p>"Platform Nine and Three Quarters, who ever heard of such a thing?" Lovino groused, trudging along with his trolley. Feliciano was right next to him, looking around in a panic. Their father had stayed in the car since he <em>really<em> was taking this whole 'deny that magic exists' thing to the extreme. Lovino had no idea where their mother or Grandpa Romulus went. They pretty much dropped them off, saying 'have fun at Hogwarts~!' and left. Lovino looked down at his ticket again. Clearly printed was 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters' on it. That was where they were supposed to go, but there was just one tiny problem.

The platform didn't exist.

Lovino didn't know if everything had been just some elaborate prank on them or what, but he was quite frankly tired. Lovino had always hated traveling, and traveling while carrying a bunch of suitcases, his brother, and his brother's luggage was really starting to get to him. Add to that that they had to go to some mythical platform, and you had one really grumpy Lovino.

…maybe those three guys from before were around; the ones from when they were in that strange alley that had everything that a wizard could ever need, it seemed. They could show them where to go. Lovino looked around curiously. Up ahead was some ginger family who was talking to some boy their age with messy black hair. Lovino almost ignored them, if it wasn't for the fact that he heard them mention Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Setting his mouth and grabbing his brother's hand, he dragged them over to the family.

"Uh…hey, did I hear you say something about Platform Nine and Three Quarters?" he asked. The mother of the group turned to him with a matronly smile.

"Yes, dear, I was just telling this young man here that it's my son Ron's first time at Hogwarts as well," she said, a hand proudly on Ron's shoulder. "Do you need help as well?"

"Ve, if you can?" Feliciano sniffled, looking very helpless. "Our Grandpa and mom left us here saying to have fun, but I think they forgot to tell us where to go…" The woman gasped.

"Oh, you poor dears," she said. "Percy, Fred, George, if you'll show these young men how it's done?" The eldest straightened up proudly and set off at a brisk walk towards one of the support columns. Feliciano and Lovino, and he had a feeling the other boy with black hair too, were about to call out a warning when he disappeared through the wall. The twins (ginger-haired, not Italian) followed quickly afterwards.

The twins (Italian, not ginger-haired) and the boy with black hair exchanged looks of astonishment. People could really go through walls like that? There was a lot about the magic world that they didn't know, apparently. After being shoed through the wall by the cheerful, helpful lady the twins and the other boy stood in awe of the scarlet steam-engine train in front of them. Lovino wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but this train seemed…normal. But also magical, too. If that could really happen.

"Um," the black haired boy said, catching the twins' and Ron's attention. "My name's Harry. How about you?"

"Ve, I'm Feliciano Vargas!" Feliciano chirped. "And this is my big brother Lovino~. We're first years, what about you?"

"Dumbass," Lovino said without bite. "If they couldn't get onto the platform too, then they must be first years too."

"Um, yeah, actually," Ron rubbed the back of his neck. The four of them handed over their luggage and looked at everyone rushing around with various students getting on the train. "Should we get a carriage car together? You know, before they fill up."

"Ve, that would be great! Since this way, we'll be able to sit with people we know!" Feliciano started tugging his brother after him as he hurried to one of the openings on the train, with Ron and Harry following behind.

"Is your brother always like this?" Harry asked. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"_Always_."

The four made their way through the hallway of the train past several other students who were already on board, some already in their Hogwarts uniforms. They were just looking around for an empty train car when they ran into the three older boys that Lovino and Feliciano had met a few months earlier in Diagon Alley. Literally. Well, it was more of Francis, Gilbert and Antonio were running in the hall and ended up bumping into Harry and Ron who fell on Lovino and Feliciano, but the feeling was still there.

"Ouch, son of a-" Gilbert moaned as he rubbed his head where he had hit it. Looking up he was pleasantly surprised to see Lovino and Feliciano again. Lovino was not. "Hey, lookie what I found guys! It's the cute Italians from earlier."

"Do you know these guys?" Ron moaned as he stood up, helping Harry to his feet.

"Something like that," Lovino muttered. "We met once several months ago. I'd almost forgotten about them, actually," he lied. There was no reason for the others to know that he had been wondering if he would see them again. Even if they had rubbed him the wrong way before, he still felt like they were interesting.

"Oh come on, don't say that," Antonio pouted. "Hey, did you two already make friends? That's great!"

"Ve, I know, right?" Feliciano laughed with him, pulling his unwilling brother, Harry and Ron into a group hug. "Ve, but right now we're trying to find a train car for the four of us. Maybe we could talk later?"

"Count on it," Francis said with a smirk and a wink, sashaying away. Antonio and Gilbert followed him.

After finding a train car at last, the four collapsed into their seats.

"I wonder if all train rides to Hogwarts are going to be like this," Feliciano mused as he watched the train leave the station. Ron was looking out the window too, waving goodbye to his family on the station. Lovino and Harry exchanged weary glances. They had a feeling that their time at Hogwarts would be an interesting one.

* * *

><p>Later that night, it was time for the sorting. Of course, Ron had completely freaked Lovino, Feliciano and a few others out when he mentioned his brother talking about how they had to fight a troll. The twins were ready right then and there to leave and never come back, but the double doors that led to the hall opened and Professor McGonagall stood there, surveying them.<p>

"We're ready for you now."

Gulping, the twins held hands as they were led through the Great Hall. Out of the corner of his eye Lovino caught sight of Antonio sitting over at the Slytherine table, waving cheerfully at him. Over with Gryffindor, Francis was sitting primly, engaged in a glaring contest with some blond boy with large eyebrows in Ravenclaw. Also at Ravenclaw table was Gilbert who was waving excitedly at some blond boy standing near the front of the line. The line slowly approached the front of the hall where a spindly stool stood with an old, tattered hat sitting on it.

Professor McGonagall turned to the first years and looked sternly at them.

"This is the sorting hat," she told them. "I will call your name one by one and you will come over and have the hat be placed on you. It will then decide which house you will join." Lovino glared at the hat. All that trouble, time and stress spent over worrying about facing a troll and they end up having a stupid hat do all the work? Lovino didn't know why, but he felt like he was being ripped off.

Professor McGonagall held up a large scroll and cleared her name. The 'A's' went first and were sorted. Lovino watched as they were led off to their respective cheering tables when he felt his brother tug on his robe sleeve. (Grandpa Romulus was right; those robes _did_ make them look dashing.)

"Hey, that doesn't look too bad, does it Lovi?" he whispered. Lovino shrugged. He totally could have taken on that troll. You know, without knowing any magic or any of that. Yeah. He watched as 'Arlovskaya, Natalya' was placed in Slytherine house to the unsure clapping of her fellow housemates. The white-haired girl glared hatefully at the hat before turning mournfully to the Hufflepuff table where two older students who looked like her sat.

Up next was 'Beilschmidt, Ludwig.' It was the blond boy from before, the one at the beginning of the line. He held himself with confidence, much more so than the others who had gone before. This was especially impressive considering Gilbert was catcalling and cheering him on from as soon as his name was called. Lovino rolled his eyes. Judging from his last name, he must be Gilbert's younger brother. It may have been presumptuous of Lovino, but he already didn't like Ludwig. He looked too much like that Draco Malfoy boy that they met earlier on the train—the one who had tried to bully the four of them until Ron's rat (no, Feliciano and Lovino did not scream like little girls when they saw him) came out of nowhere and bit Malfoy's crony. Ludwig had the same slicked back blond hair, the same posture and the same air of 'I'm holier than thou,' at least to Lovino.

Ludwig approached the sorting hat purposefully and stiffly. He sat on the stool and after a few seconds the hat shouted 'Slytherine!' Gilbert's shout of 'lame!' was drowned out over the cheers from the green table. Lovino narrowed his eyes. That was one house he didn't want to belong to, even if Antonio _did_ happen to be there. Though, of course, there was no reason to want to be there _because_ of Antonio either. The only contact they had had together was when Antonio had escorted his brother and he back to his grandfather, and the one time when they ended up bumping into each other on the train.

A few more names were called, such as that Hermione Granger girl who went to Gryffindor house. Eventually, they arrived at the 'J's'.

"Jones, Alfred F," Professor McGonagall called out. There was a hoot of laughter and some blond boy (why was everyone blond?) jumped out of the crowd of first years, turning around to face the Great Hall proudly. He gave everyone a megawatt smile and was about to most likely give a speech of some kind when the Sorting Hat shouted "Gryffindor!" Alfred paused, confused. He turned to the hat and said 'Huh?'

"Gryffindor," the hat repeated. Alfred blinked.

"But I haven't even tried it on, yet."

"It really doesn't matter either way. I can tell even from here that you're a Gryffindor." Alfred looked like he was about to protest some more when Professor McGonagall shooed him over to the Gryffindor table to confused, hesitant applause. From where Lovino was standing close to the staff table, he overheard a few teachers muttering to each other.

"Great. Another year of _those_."

"When was the last time something like this happened?"

"Three years ago, I remember."

"Oh, right, that was the year Carriedo was a first year; the Sorting Hat spent a whole ten minutes on him."

"Yeah, remember when it was about to say 'Hufflepuff'?"

"Shh, we don't know that for certain."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it was that."

"Yes, but then it switched quickly to Slytherine, right? I wonder what it saw…"

Lovino learned something very valuable that night. Eavesdropping on the teachers was fun!

When Lovino tuned back into the sorting, they were already at the 'M's' and 'Malfoy, Draco' had just been sorted into Slytherine house. Lovino felt his lip curl. Yet another reason why he should hate Slytherine house.

Shortly after it was Harry's turn to be sorted.

"Potter, Harry." The hall erupted into whispers as people started asking each other if it really was _the_ Harry Potter that they were talking about. Harry looked nervous as he approached the hat. Lovino didn't blame him; _he_ certainly wouldn't have wanted to have everyone watching him like that. During the train ride up, when Malfoy had stuck his ugly head in to bully them some more it had come out that their friend Harry was the savior of their magical world. Ron had looked amazed, and Feliciano and Lovino were mildly impressed. So _that_ was the guy that their Grandpa Romulus had said was the only man (teen, child, whatever) that was greater than him! After finding that out, it wasn't that big a deal to hear who their friend was again. Harry's turn took a few minutes but in the end he was placed in Gryffindor house. Lovino looked oddly out at the Gryffindor's table. His friend was placed there, and so far it looked like there were a few other interesting people in that house. Even Francis was over there. Maybe Lovino should get placed there? He snorted. Like it was even up to him, anyway.

After a few more students Professor McGonagall reached the 'S's'.

"Steilsson, Ari," Professor McGonagall read out. A boy with startling white hair that directly contrasted the black robes he was in stepped up to the hat to the cheers of a loud man with crazy hair in Gryffindor house. The boy had an unimpressed look on his face and waited patiently for the house to announce that he was in Ravenclaw house.

Afterwards Lovino started feeling uneasy. Coming up soon was his and his brother's turn. His palms started sweating. He didn't know how his brother or anyone else was feeling but he was starting to get nervous. The house he would get sorted into would decide his time at Hogwarts forever. It was a big decision (that wasn't even up to him), and Lovino felt like shouting out 'wait a moment! Shouldn't we think this through a little better? Why are we letting a _hat_ decide where to put us?'

"Vargas, Feliciano."

Again there were a few mutters here and there but not as much as there had been for Harry. Feliciano looked extremely nervous as he timidly approached the hat. To Lovino, it looked like his twin was afraid that there _was_ a troll after all, and that it would be just his luck to be the one who would have the troll come leaping out of the hat. Feliciano took his seat cautiously and the hat was barely on his head before it shouted out (and scaring the living daylights out of Feliciano while doing so) 'Hufflepuff!' Lovino shrugged. Going by what he had heard about the other houses, he had a feeling his brother was going to end up there.

Lovino noticed that the mutters were starting to increase. He heard snatches of conversation saying 'isn't he the grandson of Romulus Vargas?' and 'why is he being placed in _Hufflepuff_ of all places?' Lovino glared out at them. It wasn't any of their business what happened to his brother at all! He was so angry at those busybodies that he almost missed his own name being called. Lovino gulped. This was it.

He tried not to let his nervousness show as he strode purposefully towards the stool. He only stumbled once, too! When the hat was placed on his head, Lovino heard a voice in his head.

"_Hmm. You're a lot like your brother, you know that?"_ Lovino didn't really know what to think about that, but he also knew he didn't like being compared to his brother. He had had enough of that throughout his life, thank you very much. The voice chuckled in his head.

"_Oh, you want to prove yourself? It sounds like you would be good in Slytherine."_ Lovino paled under the hat. He didn't want to be in Slytherine. Not only were there people in there that he _knew_ would bully him, he didn't want to end up becoming just like them. He may not have gotten along perfectly with his grandfather like how Feliciano did, but Lovino still cared about what he thought. He didn't even want to find out what would happen when news traveled out that not only did Romulus Vargas' youngest grandson end up in Hufflepuff, but the oldest wound up in Slytherine. Grandpa Romulus always told them that he would love them no matter what, but Lovino still had doubts. He knew that Feliciano was the favorite grandson. He didn't want to do anything that would make his grandfather hate him…

"_Ah, I see,"_ the voice said kindly. _"You don't want to disappoint others. That's an admirable quality to have, though it can also lead you to sadness."_

"_What are you, a magic hat or a fortune-teller?_" Lovino thought back dryly. The voice laughed again.

"_Okay then. I know where to put you…"_

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted out loud. The hat was pulled off Lovino quickly, making him blink at the sudden exposure to light. He frowned, trying not to make it seem that the hat's decision affected him. He hurriedly walked over to where his brother was cheering for him at the Hufflepuff table.

* * *

><p>Who ever told Lovino that the Slytherine's hated everyone who wasn't also a Slytherine was a liar. No matter where he went, those three from before, the Bad Friends Trio Lovino had heard them called once, would follow him and his brother around! Like right now, Lovino was currently trying to lose Antonio, Francis and Gilbert in the library. He hoped that if he managed to sneak around the right book cases then he could make a quick, speedy escape back to his commons room before they managed to catch up with him…again.<p>

Lovino sulked as he peered around a bookcase, looking out for anyone that seemed to be paying a little too much interest in him. He probably wouldn't have been so upset if it weren't for the fact that they seemed to be paying more attention to him than his brother. Normally, Lovino would have loved for that to happen. But it also made him feel like they were pitying him because his brother had made fast friends already (with that creepy German kid Ludwig from Slytherine and a Japanese exchange student in Ravenclaw named Kiku. Life wasn't fair sometimes) and Lovino hadn't. To be fair, Lovino had a feeling that he maybe would have been okay if it weren't for the Bad Friends. Not only were they from other houses (including Slytherine; what was _up_ with Antonio, anyways? He was always the one to come and find Lovino…), but the Bad Friends were also upperclassmen. A few of the other first years, and not only from Hufflepuff, were starting to give Lovino resentful looks because of it. They thought that he was thinking that he was too good for them or something.

Lovino really didn't need to be ostracized from another school. Wasn't Hogwarts supposed to be better than before?

"Hey, Lovi!"

Lovino smothered a scream before he could get lectured by the librarian. He turned around quickly, a hand covering his pounding heart. Standing there with a bright smile on his face was Antonio.

"What'cha doing over here? You look like you're trying to avoid someone." Yeah, you, Lovino thought. Antonio narrowed his eyes, looking around suspiciously. He placed an arm around Lovino's shoulders.

"Nobody's bullying you, are they? Because I can take care of it for you if you want me to." That was the last thing Lovino needed. It would make it seem like he couldn't fight his own fights, and dammit Lovino was a man! Of course he can stand up for himself! He frowned, shoving Antonio away from him.

"Oh, stop already," he snapped, brushing himself off. "I was avoiding you and your friends, if you have to know."

"Oh," Antonio said, looking down. Lovino almost would have felt bad if he hadn't looked back up just as quickly. "But I'm not with Francis and Gilbert today! Gilbert was talking about checking out that one white-haired first year girl, and I think Francis was saying something about her brother? So I'm here by myself!" He said this proudly like it should have been something that Lovino congratulated him for. Lovino rolled his eyes, stepping out from behind the bookcase. He walked over to one of the tables set up for studying, since he had a feeling that he would be there for a while. Sure enough, Antonio came following after him happily, sitting right across from Lovino.

"There's been something I was wondering," Lovino started, figuring that now was as good a time as any to ask. "How do you and your friends keep popping up all over the place?"

"What do you mean, Lovi?" Antonio asked with a cute confused look on his face. Lovino ignored both the fact that he had just thought that Antonio was cute and also that the other boy was still calling him by that stupid nickname. School had been in session for two months by now, and he was already sadly getting used to being called that.

"I mean, I keep running to different parts of the castle and then when I turn around your just right there! Can you walk through walls, or something? Are you taking secret passages maybe?"

"No, and yes," Antonio said. "Francis, Gilbert and I can't walk through walls or anything. I'm not sure anyone can do that, unless they're a ghost." Lovino frowned. That made sense. Now he just felt stupid for saying something like that, but he had good reason! Just the other day he managed to somehow lose the trio in the Great Hall and he ended up running to the Astronomy Tower to get away (and because his next class was there and he was already late). Lovino _knew_ he took the only staircase up to the tower, but somehow by the time he got there the trio was already lying in wait for him. Lovino was seriously thinking about bringing up this whole 'stalking' issue to his head of house. If he mentioned Feliciano's name, he was sure that he would even be listened to! Antonio continued talking.

"But, yes, we usually take the secret passages in the castle. It's quicker that way, and we have the whole castle layout memorized." Lovino stared at him in awe.

"How'd you managed _that_?" he asked curiously, despite himself. Antonio smiled, happy that he was getting (positive) attention from Lovino but his smile was also tinged a little with remembering the past.

"Ah," he said, rubbing his face with one finger awkwardly. "Our first week here when we were First Years, we ended up getting lost. We figured that the best way to get to our class was by asking one of the paintings, right?" Lovino nodded, since he had had to do that a time or two himself. At least, he had had to do that before the whole stalking incidents started occurring. Ever since, Lovino had never found himself lost in the castle since either Antonio, Gilbert or Francis would tell him where to go or bring him there themselves. It was usually the latter case, since the three seemed to really, really like him and his brother.

"Well, we ended up asking… Waldo the Wanderer," Antonio said, blushing. Lovino realized that the older boy was embarrassed. He felt like smirking for some reason, an impulse he happily gave in to.

"What's so wrong about that?" he asked, feeling like taunting him. Antonio looked uncomfortable when he returned his attention to Lovino again.

"Apparently, since he can't 'wander' himself anymore he sends other people off to wander for him. By the time Francis, Gilbert and I realized this we were already in the prefects' bathroom on the seventh floor."

"Oh. That must have been embarrassing," Lovino said in a bored voice, leaning back in his chair. Antonio was still blushing as he nodded his head.

"Yes, I think those ladies thought so as well." Lovino paused, looking quizzically at him again. Surely Antonio was joking by now…

"Wait; aren't the prefect's bathrooms supposed to have passwords? Ones that change a lot, like the ones for the common rooms?" Antonio nodded gravely.

"Yes, yes they do," he said. "We were wondering why Waldo gave us a few passwords to use…"

"Wait a minute, a _few_?"

"Sí. Afterwards, we were already half an hour late for our next class so we figured, why not find out where the rest of the passwords go to?" Antonio shrugged as if it was not a big deal at all. "Afterwards, we were sent to the Owlry, the kitchens, the dungeons (like, the _actual_ dungeons), and even this one really weird room behind the Great Hall that had this really long piece of parchment and this weird quill that was writing down names. Since we had nothing else to do, Gilbert, Francis and I, ah... _added_ in a few names of our own." Lovino had a feeling he knew what came next.

"So, that's how you know all about the castle? Because he sent you on a wild goose chase?" Antonio shrugged.

"Well, partially. We _did_ end up eventually where we were supposed to go, but we were also kind of mad."

"I'm sure."

"Mmhmm. So later, we tried to find his picture again, which we did, but he wasn't there anymore. Ever since, we've never really been able to find Waldo again."

"Huh," Lovino said. The story was actually kind of interesting. He had thought that he would have been bored, or just waiting for his chance to try and escape again but here he was enjoying himself. Lovino couldn't believe that he was enjoying himself enough to want to stay and even hear more about Antonio's wild tale. Who knew talking with the Spanish boy would be so fun? He sat up straight in his chair again. "Wait, you said 'partially'; did something else happen?" Antonio started chuckling uneasily again, his light blush reappearing again.

"Well, after that we decided not to try and ask Waldo anything anymore. Instead, we asked the painting next to him for better directions…" Antonio trailed off, staring into the distance. "We ended up asking Leroy the Liar and Earnhardt the Exaggerator. Between the three of them, I don't think there's a single part of Hogwarts castle, and maybe even part of the grounds, that the three of us haven't seen."

"That's…kind of pathetic, really," Lovino said. Antonio nodded sagely.

"Yes, it is."

"…"

"Hey Lovi?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever ask for directions from any of the paintings on the fourth floor."

"Got it."

Lovino didn't know what they would have talked about from there, maybe some other funny story from Antonio's time at Hogwarts, but they didn't get the chance. A fifth year Ravenclaw stormed over to them, glaring at Antonio who blinked at the hostility in their eyes.

"Hey, Slytherine!" the fifth year said loudly (or at least, as loudly as he dared in the library). He positioned himself so that he was facing Antonio with Lovino somewhat 'protectively' behind him. "Stop picking on the first year! Just because he's a Hufflepuff…"

"But I'm not picking on him!" Antonio protested, eyes wide. It looked like the thought had never, ever occurred to him. "We were just talking…" The fifth year snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Right, talking. Please, everyone knows that Slytherines don't get along with anyone else. Why would you be 'talking' to him?" The fifth year pointed at Lovino over his shoulder. Lovino didn't really know what was going on, but he was starting to get annoyed and insulted. He could handle himself, especially against Antonio! You know, if the wimp ever decided to do something against him, which Lovino highly doubted. Antonio frowned at the fifth year's words.

"But, aren't we supposed to all be getting along with each other?" he pointed out. "That's what the sorting hat says, at least. Right, Lovino?" Lovino snorted, staring at the third person derisively.

"Like I actually paid attention to that stupid hat," he said. "I didn't even know that it said anything other than 'you're in this house,' or 'you're in that house.'"

"Lovi…" Antonio whined. "You should have listened! The hat sung a pretty song and-"

"Like anyone actually follows that advice!" the fifth year interrupted, still looking at Antonio like he thought that the other would try something as soon as he got the chance. Lovino flat out glared at the fifth year now, unknowingly looking just like an angry Romulus Vargas.

"Well apparently _some_one's listening to it," he told the fifth year. "This idiot over here's best friends are in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. And I'm in Hufflepuff. If that's not interhouse unity, then I don't know what is. But then again, I'm just a lowly first year who doesn't know anything about anything, right? Maybe you, as a big, strong fifth year know what's right. So tell me, is that interhouse unity, or am I just horribly mistaken? Please, tell me." If there was one thing that Lovino hated worse than bullies it was people who pretended that they knew everything and then told you what to do based on their beliefs. It was people like that who had told him before that he would never do well in life because he had a bad attitude and wasn't enough like his brother, and it was people like that that had made Lovino come home crying when he was just a little kid. Even if he was in a different place, apparently the same thing still happened. Lovino narrowed his eyes. Well, he would just have to make sure that everyone got it from now on.

The fifth year flustered around a bit before shooting Antonio a warning 'just don't try anything!' and left. Lovino couldn't have been happier—the other guy was starting to give him a headache. When Lovino looked back across the table to Antonio he was surprised to see the Spaniard smiling warmly at him.

"Thanks, Lovi." He didn't say anything more before he got up from the table and left. A few minutes later the school bell rang for the next class. Lovino cursed loudly, rushing out the library doors with the librarian shouting her own profanity at him.

* * *

><p>Apparently, it was odd for people from the four different houses to get along with each other. Sure, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff always got along with each other but apparently they were the only ones to do so. Slytherine were usually the bullies and the instigators, and the Gryffindors were too arrogant to get along well with anyone else without making the other houses seem lesser than they were. Lovino never really quite understood why this was, but he did understand that Antonio and his friends were just different.<p>

Lovino and Feliciano wrote home quite often, and they received mail from home just as frequently. Usually it was letters from their doting grandfather as he poured his love out on them, and their mother would send them treats and other snacks from home. It didn't matter that Italy was far away; somehow her snacks and treats always arrived just as fresh as if she had just finished making them. Maybe she did have some magic, after all.

Lovino didn't know what his brother wrote home about, but he himself would write about Antonio usually. Often it was about how Antonio would be up to another prank against his fellow third year Arthur Kirkland who was in Ravenclaw. Grandpa Romulus seemed to be amused whenever Antonio was brought up for some reason, though Lovino was never quite sure why. Usually his grandfather would distract him by telling about some story from when _he_ went to Hogwarts. Lovino wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, since his grandfather's stories seemed wilder than the things even _Antonio_ and his friends got up to.

Like, one time Grandpa Romulus tried to tell him about how he went to school with Professor Dumbledore. When Lovino had tried to call his grandfather out on that one, his grandfather admitted that they didn't go at the same time since they weren't in the same year….Grandpa Romulus was a few years ahead. Now, Lovino knew that his grandfather was far older than he looked, but even he couldn't be _that_ old…right?

Months passed until it was finally time for Halloween. Lovino was currently in the Hufflepuff common room reading a book after leaving early from the Halloween dinner. He just hadn't been feeling that festive, so he decided to duck out and maybe catch up on his reading for one of his classes. They were having a quiz in Charms later that week, and Lovino was determined to show everyone (and Antonio) that he was smarter than his brother. To do so, he was studying extra for that test. He _would_ get higher marks than Feliciano!

Lovino was just turning a page when he heard yelling and screaming outside of the entranceway. That was odd, since he knew that those who were really scared of the Halloween decorations (most of which had been alive) had already fled to their dorm rooms. Was there some grande finale or something? Distantly, Lovino heard several footsteps stomping through the castle, sounding like a herd of stampeding…something or another. Whatever stampeded. Lovino was starting to get apprehensive. Carefully, he pulled out his wand and opened the entranceway.

To his surprised, Antonio stood there looking like he had been in the middle of a screaming match with the statue that stood guard over the Hufflepuff dormitories. When Antonio saw him he quickly pulled Lovino into a hug and started stroking his hair and muttering things under his breath. Lovino wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort Lovino or himself.

"O-oi," Lovino tried to say, his face no doubt burning red. For some reason he started getting like that around Antonio, and it didn't help that he was practically being smothered into the Spaniard's chest. "What's with you? Why were you trying to get inside? You know the statue's been told not to let you or your two weird friends in."

"Humph!" the statue behind them said. "_That statue_ happens to have a name, boy!"

"Yeah, yeah, like I can ever remember," Lovino waved him off awkwardly, still in Antonio's arms. "So, what's with you?" he asked Antonio, poking him in the cheek until Antonio finally loosened his grip enough so that Lovino could break out of it. He was surprised by what he saw.

Antonio looked like he had just seen a ghost and he was out of breath—from running all the way from the Great Hall? He was also looking very pale but also relieved as he looked over Lovino. Antonio leaned against the far wall, catching his breath.

"I was so scared, Lovi," he managed to get out. "So scared… troll in the dungeons. I didn't see you in the Great Hall; I didn't know where you were…"

"So you thought that I would be in the dungeons? On Halloween night?" Lovino knew the blush was still on his face, but hopefully Antonio wouldn't notice.

Antonio shrugged helplessly, seemingly finally understanding what he had been implying. He looked away, embarrassed. "Y-yeah, pretty stupid of me, huh? I-it's just that I overheard some first years talking about how they hadn't seen their friend, and…"

"A-and you were worried about me." Lovino had a feeling his blush wouldn't be going away for a while. He swallowed, suddenly feeling like his throat was dry. He was about to say something to ease the tension between them when he heard the sound of his house's prefect calling for the Hufflepuffs to stay in a single file line.

"…you better go, before they catch you," he mumbled. For some reason lately he just hadn't been able to meet with the older boy to chat, and now their only chance was being taken away. Lovino felt frustrated about that, since he counted Antonio as one of his few, if only, friends. Antonio was also looking over where the rest of the Hufflepuffs were coming and sighed, stepping away from the wall.

"Yeah, I probably should." Antonio was almost out of sight when Lovino finally gathered up the courage to tell him to wait. Antonio turned around curiously. Lovino shuffled where he stood, feeling really awkward.

"Uh…I just wanted to say…um. Thanks, I guess. For coming to check on me, that is. It—it means a lot. To me." Lovino wouldn't look Antonio in the eye when he said this, since it was too embarrassing. Really, what was he thanking him for? For being a total spaz and running around looking him? If Lovino was honest with himself, he would say that yes, that was exactly what he was thanking him for. Antonio was showing that he really did care about Lovino, in his own way. That was something that Lovino wasn't used to, especially since Antonio only really showed this caring side with him—with Lovino, and not Feliciano. It seemed stupid, cliché even, but Lovino really did feel sometimes that he couldn't compete with his brother. It was times like this, when Antonio would go out of his way to do something nice for him, that made Lovino feel really special.

When he looked up again, Antonio had a strange, faraway look on his face which was an interesting shade of red. When he saw that Lovino was looking at him again, Antonio made a strange strangling sound in the back of his throat before quickly turning around.

"I-I'll see you later, Lovi!" he promised before quickly turning around the far corner just as the Hufflepuffs came into sight.

* * *

><p>Lovino never figured out until much later what Antonio's actions that night meant. Mostly, he found out only when in Lovino's fifth year, Antonio's seventh, Antonio confessed to him. Lovino was stunned, and mostly hurt. He had had a crush on Antonio ever since his third year, and to him it felt like Antonio, one of his only friends at school (and ever) was making fun of him because of it. Antonio proved him he was wrong quickly enough, and the two started dating. Lovino was kind of annoyed, however, when Antonio started saying that he beat Lovino because apparently Antonio had liked Lovino ever since Lovino's first year.<p>

Really, that explained so, so much.

Of course, their years at Hogwarts were stressful (especially since in Lovino's second year he and his brother ended up getting petrified somehow), and the fight against Lord Voldemort who regained power at the end of Lovino's fourth year was long and hard. Lovino and Feliciano weren't sure how, but they stayed at Hogwarts for all seven years and even fought alongside everyone their seventh year against the Dark Lord. Antonio and his friends came back to school for that final battle and were able to help score victories against the Death Eaters. Let's just say, one happened to look at Lovino funny. While Antonio was around. The Death Eater never stood a chance.

Despite all of this, their years at Hogwarts held some of their fondest memories. Such as the time Francis, Gilbert and Antonio managed to convince the Goblet of Fire that there was a _Fifth_ school in the Triwizard tournament, just because they could. They never actually submitted any names, but they wanted to be able to say that they did.

During their school years, Lovino and Antonio still had to put up with random people coming over and demanding that 'Antonio stop picking on that Hufflepuff boy.' Even when Antonio repeatedly told them all that no, he really wasn't picking on him, he just happened to love Lovino very much (Lovino was still in denial over his feelings at the time. And he was too busy staring at Antonio to hear what he was saying). Rumors started circulating about how 'that Slytherine boy keeps stalking that poor Hufflepuff.' Those in the know laughed. Those outside worried. Grandpa Romulus was already planning which décor and which photograph of himself would look perfect at his grandson's wedding.

Arthur Kirkland, of course, became Prefect and Head Boy. Francis and Antonio both managed to somehow become Prefects as well, and they routinely challenged Arthur to 'who's a better prefect, you or me'—offs. Arthur never refused a challenge.

Feliciano became very, very good friends with Ludwig (which their Grandpa Romulus was ecstatic about; now he had an excuse to go over and bother the Beilschmidt's grandfather whenever he wanted to). Feliciano managed to convince Lovino to have a double wedding together, but Lovino managed to have the last laugh—he and Antonio got married the day before Feliciano and Ludwig did. Feliciano pouted, but he was okay with it. As long as his brother was happy and he got Ludwig, he didn't care.

Ludwig didn't really get a say in anything except for the option to say 'I do' or not. He chose to say it.

Gilbert, Francis and Antonio never did get repaid from having to cover Grandpa Romulus' tab at the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

><p><em>And now, for a special omake: <em>

Lastly were the 'W's'. 'Wang, Xiao' ("Leon's good too." "No it's not, aru!" "Mr. Wang, please keep quiet while we sort your brother.") was sent to Ravenclaw and 'Weasley, Ron' was sent to Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall was just rolling up her roll of names, since there didn't seem to be any more students to sort, when a small voice came out of nowhere.

"Um. I hate to be rude, but what about me?"

Several people started looking around, and someone remarked about how the ghosts weren't supposed to arrive until later. A first year from the Gryffindor table screamed.

"No, I'm not a ghost. I'm Matthew—Matthew Williams?" Professor McGonagall looked around and was surprised to see another student standing a few feet from her. She had been sure that he hadn't been there before. She frowned.

"How long have you been standing there for?" Matthew looked down at his shoes, though it must have been hard to see them since he was holding a small bear in his arms (why hadn't anyone said anything?).

"I've been here the whole time…"

After a quick cross-referencing with the name scroll ("Well what do you know, it is on here. Why didn't I see it before?") 'Williams, Matthew' was sorted into Hufflepuff. Mostly because even the hat hadn't been able to get a clear reading on him, so they sent him somewhere where he would at least fit in. Matthew sighed.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Seventeen—Next up! Who you gonna call?<em>


	18. Life 18 Lovi, The Friendly? Ghost

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 18; Lovi, The…Friendly? Ghost  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio's next job takes him to a mansion that is being haunted by a fiery Italian ghost.  
><em>_Rating__: T because of language, etc.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. Also, some of the haunting ideas came from discussions with friends and family while watching __Ghost Adventures__. I actually like that show, but I agree that some of the stuff that they do is just silly. Also, they really need to stop offering Nick up as bait.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, my bad writing skills, the fact that I don't know much about exorcisms or haunting, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, mentions of Lukas (Norway), Matthias, Arthur, Alfred, Tino (Finland) and Berwald.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino friendship, Berwald/Tino, one-sided Arthur/Alfred, perhaps Lukas/Matthias/Lukas (whoever you want to be on top ;D)  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,279.  
><em>_Notes__: So, I'm thinking about having a FAQ thing. If anyone has any questions about any of the lives that have occurred so far, or about this story in general, please feel free to ask! I will be putting up reminders for this for the next few chapters as I compile my notes, so please feel free to ask whenever (preferably soon)! I'll post up the answers to the FAQ's soon enough. Without further ado, please enjoy! ^_^_

* * *

><p>Antonio was starting to have mixed feelings about this job.<p>

He was a third-year exorcist, so he had had enough time to get his feet wet, so to speak (though, yes, he did end up having to fall into a lake once when he was chasing a spirit named Tino; he really didn't want to think of _that_ assignment anymore). But he had also had enough time to experience the dangers of being an exorcist. (Yes, Spirit Berwald, Antonio was looking at you… so to speak.) Pretty much the only way to succeed in this line of work is to just survive as best you can and gain more experience. Supposedly, there was a legendary Exorcist who traveled around with a spirit who helped him exorcise other spirits. This Exorcist was even supposed to still be around along with the spirit, who by now had gained enough… spiritual energy or something to blend in with normal humans. Antonio was pretty sure that that was actually against the rules, since it was an exorcist's job to exorcise spirits and ghosts.

Whenever this story was brought up back at headquarters, he always noticed seventh-year exorcist Lukas smirking slightly while that one really tall guy who also liked to swing axes around would get really nervous. But Antonio digressed.

Despite all of the dangers, there were still a few perks to being an exorcist. One, of course, was the monetary pay they could get. It wasn't much at first, and you couldn't really expect to make more than enough to pay your bills until your fifth year, but Antonio did all right. Another perk was that he could help and meet new people. Most of those were dead and lingered on but Antonio still got to meet them! …before he exorcised them.

His newest assignment was the old Roman House. It wasn't really Roman, and Antonio was pretty sure that nobody ever lived in it from Rome. The name still persisted, though, because of the architecture that was modeled directly after some old Roman palace. Supposedly some spirit being was residing in the manor and scaring away anyone who dared to enter the place. Strange things happened in that manor, the neighbors told Antonio's bosses. It was Antonio's job to figure out the situation and deal with it as best as he could.

Antonio stood outside the house across the street. Looking up at it, Antonio could tell that it had been a beautiful house at one point. Now, it just looked faded and in disrepair. The iron fence surrounding the house didn't really match with the rest of the whole 'Roman' theme, but Antonio could give whoever put it in that it made the whole view seem even creepier than it really was. Antonio looked down at the files in his hands. They were previous reports from others who had ventured in to see if they could catch footage of the ghost or spirit or whatever was haunting the place. Antonio read them mostly because it was company policy to do so but also because it gave him a better understanding of what he was dealing with.

For example, when a ghost extraction team (Really? Antonio thought, that was the best name they could come up with?) had visited earlier they apparently were unable to capture any evidence of any ghosts…because all of their batteries for their cameras and equipment had disappeared. Another team had tried to record an unearthly voice but instead all they got were random sounds that sounded like someone saying the phrase 'unintelligible noises.' That particular team retired soon after when their credibility went away. One final team had noticed strange writing on the wall, but not the kind that Antonio usually saw. Included with the file were some helpful photographs that showed the pictures that someone had taken of the writing. It said 'this way to the flower field,' and 'tomato heaven galore.' One in particular that stood out to Antonio was a section of wall that said 'Coca Cabana Hearts On Fire Superstar*star*'. That, more than anything, told Antonio that the spirit had a sense of humor. It was a shame that he would have to exorcise him.

After carefully surveying the property, Antonio walked up the path that led to the mansion. Figuring that it was only the polite thing to do, he knocked on the door as loud as he could without seriously hurting his hand—he still needed it for his exorcism later, after all. Seeing as there was no answer for several minutes, Antonio shrugged and let himself in. The previous owner had given the key to Antonio's bosses, and they in turn gave it to him. Inside was a beautiful entryway that was full of once-beautiful furniture, intricate crown moldings that had turned black over the ages, cobwebs the size of Antonio, and lots and lots of dust. There were even heavy curtains hanging across the windows, giving the place a nice, desolate feel. Oh, yes. Antonio could see how a ghost could live here for a long time.

After a quick tour of the house that brought Antonio to several large, elaborate rooms that were covered in ghostly graffiti, he decided that the best place to set up for the night was in the grand entryway. It was the central room of the entire mansion, and the room was just big enough for Antonio to set up his protective circle and still have space to move around.

Antonio stretched his arms and shoulders, pacing out a circle around his pack that he had set on the ground. As much as he hated to admit it, the protective circle that he had learned from Arthur really had saved Antonio on more than one occasion. True, Arthur was a complete and total bastard that was too busy getting drunk and fawning over his new partner to actually be of much use anymore, but the Brit was still an eleventh-year exorcist. It was already highly unusual to find someone who was past their sixth year, let alone reaching their eleventh. That had to count for something, right?

Well, Antonio pretended it didn't. He hated Arthur.

Stepping back, Antonio admired his handiwork. It may not have been up to _eleventh year_ standards, but it was good enough for this job. Smiling, he reached for his bag. A cup flew out of nowhere and hit Antonio on the hand. Antonio swore as he started rubbing his injured hand. He looked around for the spirit that was haunting the place (and throwing glasses at people apparently) but Antonio couldn't see anything. The ghost was probably keeping himself hidden. That was just as well; Antonio wasn't yet ready or set up all the way to deal with him. If the ghost wanted to annoy or try and scare Antonio away in the meantime, he was welcome to it. Antonio had had to spend the last month and a half with Arthur and his new partner—he could handle anything at this point.

* * *

><p>Note to self, Antonio mused later; never start thinking positively around a ghost that you <em>know<em> will do anything to get you out of his house. Because that ghost _will_ do something. Over the past couple of hours, Antonio had had to deal with a number of the ghost's pranks. For instance, just as Antonio was starting to get a little hungry several tomatoes suddenly hit him in the back of the head. Antonio, being the optimistic man that he was, had thought that it was the spirit's way of trying to communicate with him. Then another cup flew at his head. He managed to dodge it like before, but it was still unsettling—most likely the ghost's intentions.

After the flying cup incident, things had been surprisingly quiet in the house. Antonio took his blessings where he could find them. He spent the time reviewing similar past cases (most either by Lukas or Arthur, actually) and preparing his tools for the exorcism. From what Antonio could see, this was a Class C type of ghost, which meant that it was mostly a menace but it could still be a danger to others. It wasn't as bad as, say, Class A or B types but Class C's were always their own personal brand of trouble. It was very debatable which type was worse, Class A's or Class C's. Since Antonio had almost been hit in the head with a rather heavy looking cup, he was going to go with Class C's. Class A's mostly tried to kill you as soon as they could. Class C's liked to have fun with you first.

Consulting his Enormous Encyclopedia of Exorcisms, Antonio looked up the best way to deal with Class C type ghosts. Since he was a third year exorcist, Antonio didn't even have to read the Encyclopedia—he had it memorized, or at least the section on Class C's and D's. Those were the most common types of ghosts that someone with Antonio's experience would have to face and it was procedure to read what to do for each job. Antonio didn't mind so much, since re-reading the section always refreshed his memory. He had heard about some exorcists who skipped reading the Encyclopedia because they had thought that they had it memorized, and perhaps a few of them did, but something unexpected happened and the job ended badly. A few even died. Since Antonio's goal was to show up Arthur he couldn't afford to die on some small job like this. He still had so much more to do.

Deciding that the best way to deal with the ghost would be to perform a Special Cleansing Ritual, Antonio got ready for bed. The best time to perform the ritual would be in the morning. It wouldn't be very good if he rushed through the ritual or if he was too tired to fully concentrate (and he would need all of his concentration). Antonio decided that he needed a good night's sleep. After double and triple checking his barrier to make sure that the ghost couldn't get in Antonio set up his sleeping roll. Already night was setting in with the almost full moon shining in through the gaps in the curtains covering the windows, casting a soft light over everything. It was a good thing that Antonio wasn't scared of the dark. He wouldn't have made it very far in this profession if he was.

* * *

><p>Antonio had been asleep for about an hour when he heard a thump coming from upstairs. He jolted awake, looking blearily around the dark room in confusion. After another few minutes another thump sounded through the ceiling. Antonio frowned. He really needed to have enough sleep so that he could perform the exorcism properly in the morning, but he was curious. The ghost was obviously trying to mess with him. But this was also a chance to maybe get to see the ghost before the ceremony tomorrow.<p>

Well, Antonio had never been a big one for following the rules completely. It must have been because of his friends, he figured. They were the reason why he ended up an exorcist, actually.

Antonio carefully crept up the stairs. From what he could tell, the sounds were coming from the room right off the stairs on the left. Since he could still hear thumps coming from the room, the ghost must not have noticed that Antonio was there yet. Antonio moved close to the door. Through the old, thick wood he could hear slightly muffled cursing. This surprised him. Usually ghosts weren't intelligent enough for regular speech, let alone cursing. For the most part, they could only say their names and maybe a word or two that most people took for 'ghost speech'. The only other ghosts, besides this one, that Antonio had encountered that could use regular speech had been the ghosts Tino and Berwald and even _they_ had had trouble with complete sentences. Mostly it was just Tino throwing random curses (actual curses, not swear words) at Antonio while Berwald would chant 'don't hurt my wife, don't hurt my wife'. Yeah, Antonio didn't get that last part, either.

But _this_ spirit was going beyond that. If Antonio didn't know any better, he would say that he wasn't dealing with a ghost at all and instead just a human who was playing a prank on him. That was impossible, though. There was clearly a spirit in the other room. Antonio knew by feeling the ghost's aura and from experience.

Reaching for the doorknob slowly and carefully, Antonio gently tried to open the door as silently as he could. What he didn't count on, and should have, was that the door hinges were almost rusted solid, making the door both hard to open but also very loud to open, too. Antonio winced at the sound. Well, there went his element of surprise. Might as well go ahead and meet the ghost, he decided.

Opening up the door all the way, Antonio was met with the sight of an empty room. There were several thick books lying haphazardly on the floor from where they were most likely dropped there, but other than that there was no sign of life. Antonio stepped fully into the room, looking around for any ghostly presence.

"Hello?" Antonio called out. He seemed to be in some kind of library, if all of the thick, heavy books on the shelves collecting dust were anything to go by. He had the impression that it must have been a very impressive library once upon a time, but now it looked like it was in a sad state of disrepair like the rest of the mansion. "I know you're still there. Can you please come out so we can talk?"

Antonio honestly hadn't really expected an answer. He had expected for maybe some book to come flying off the shelf at him or perhaps more silence, but instead a spiritual form seemed to materialize a few feet in front of him.

"Why should I, bastard?" the ghost asked, glaring venomously at him. "You're just going to try to exorcise me in the morning, anyway."

Antonio blinked, surprised. "You—you can talk! I mean, I knew you could, since I heard you through the door, but I didn't think you would actually come out and talk with me!" The ghost looked at him, flustered.

"Y-yeah, well, if I didn't then you would probably have just kept complaining and talking and then I never would have gotten any peace, you piece of shit!" The ghost huffed, crossing his ghostly arms. "You're just like the rest of those fucking exorcists; they always come here, thinking they can fucking do whatever they want because they're _alive_, and I'm _not_. Well, it's my house, dammit! I've been here for a long time, and I'm not going anywhere just because it's your fucking _job_ or whatever. I have rights, too, dammit!" Antonio stared in amazement at the ghost. This was, without a doubt, the most lucid, coherent ghost he had ever met (swears aside, of course). He wasn't even sure if there was a precedent or some kind of procedure for this type of thing. Antonio had surely never heard of something like this happening before. Well, other than that one story about the legendary exorcist and his ghost partner, but that was just a story! Right? Antonio wasn't so sure anymore. At any rate, now that Antonio had met this ghost he had serious doubts about the exorcism now.

Was it really right to exorcise this ghost? It wasn't like he was really causing anyone any harm (except Antonio), and it seemed that he was intelligent, too. It just didn't seem right—almost like murder, really.

Antonio stuck out his hand, which seemed to throw the ghost off. "I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. What's your name? It's not like I can just call you 'ghost' all the time." The ghost regarded Antonio warily, most likely checking for any quick exorcism tools. Finally he stuck out his own ghostly hand which made Antonio shiver. He forgot how cold ghost's touches could be!

"…Lovino Vargas," the ghost—Lovino—said slowly. He studied Antonio carefully, a look of disdain on his face.

"So now what; are you going to exorcise me?"

Antonio shook his head frantically. "No, of course not! I could never get rid of somebody I just met! That would be rude."

"What kind of exorcist are you?"

"One that wants to get to know you better. What were you like when you were alive?"

"Seriously?" Lovino snorted, a surprisedly amused look on his face. "Why would you want to know something like that?" Antonio shrugged, sitting down on the dusty floor. He made sure to properly close any books that were lying next to him. He looked up expectantly at Lovino.

"Are you going to sit down?" Lovino looked around the room in slight confusion before finally lowering himself so that he was hovering an inch or two off of the floor.

"What do I get if I answer your question?" he asked shrewdly, narrowing his eyes at Antonio. Antonio smiled, excited that he was really going to have a conversation with a ghostly spirit. Who else could say that they had ever done the same thing?

"Well, I'll answer any question you give me in turn. How about that?" And so the questions went back and forth until morning.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure it's okay to leave and go back to your headquarters even though you didn't…you know, exorcise me?" Lovino asked, floating along behind Antonio as the Spaniard moved around the entrance hall gathering up his things. Antonio waved off Lovino's worries with one hand as he stuffed his Encyclopedia into his bag with the other.<p>

"Don't worry, Lovi," he replied, "my orders were to 'get rid of the menace—permanently.' As long as I can guarantee that you won't be haunting this place anymore they won't care at all."

"How do _you_ know I won't haunt this place anymore?" Lovino muttered under his breath. Antonio smiled.

"I don't," he admitted. Antonio turned around. "But, I have a feeling. You don't seem like a bad guy, I guess."

Lovino looked to the side. It could have been Antonio's imagination, but it almost like there was a hint of red to Lovino's pale cheeks. In fact, it almost looked like he was really standing there. Lovino looked back at Antonio, a pout on his cute, see-through face. "What's it like out there? I haven't left the mansion since I died, and I know it's changed in the past twenty years or so. What's your job like?"

Antonio stopped his packing to consider the question. "Hmm… well, my job's really interesting. I get to travel all over the place, I get to meet new people, I get to be paid to help them, and… it's just a lot of fun, I guess."

Lovino considered this. "You mentioned earlier about wanting to beat your rival, that… Arthur Kirkland guy. You said that he had a partner working with him, right?"

"Yes, Alfred Jones. Why?"

Lovino looked straight into Antonio's eyes. He could almost believe that the other was right there, right within reach for Antonio to actually touch him. "I'll come with you. I want to get out of here, and you need someone who can help you against your rival. Just think of how far you'll get with a ghost as a partner?" Antonio stared in amazement as he realized that Lovino actually _wasn't_ see-through anymore.

"Is that some kind of trick that ghost's can do?" Antonio asked. Lovino seemed a little annoyed that he was being sidetracked, but he shrugged anyway.

"A few can. Some of the really powerful ones." Lovino puffed out his chest, boasting. Antonio couldn't be happier. He had been a little sad at having to leave the interesting Lovino behind, but now it seemed like the ghost could come along with him. Antonio was glad. He had wanted to get to know Lovino better. Maybe now, since they were working together, they could be friends!

"Great!" Antonio cheered. He walked over to the front door with Lovino 'walking' along beside him. Antonio was about the open the door when he frowned, thinking of something. "Hey, how long can you stay solid like that?" Lovino shrugged again.

"About two or three hours, I think?" he replied. "If I get more practice in, I should be able to stay like that for a lot longer." Antonio smiled, relieved. He didn't want to have to explain to his bosses why he was working with a ghost instead of exorcising him. Luckily his bosses wouldn't mind if Antonio brought Lovino in as his partner. Any exorcist could have any partner, even if that partner wasn't an exorcist themselves. Exorcists could partner up with other exorcists, too, of course—it was usually the preferred way, but there were still those that had non-exorcist partners. It would be easy enough to introduce Lovino to everyone as his new partner that he found on the job, especially since he was being pestered a lot lately to go ahead and pick one.

Antonio opened the door, looking at Lovino as the bright sun shone in his face. He smiled when he felt Lovino's eyes rest on him. "Come on, Lovi! Let's go."

* * *

><p>The two went on to become famous exorcists in their own rights and had many, many adventures. Antonio was never able to defeat Arthur Kirkland, but he was at least on par with him. Lovino's secret came close to being revealed once or twice, but somehow Antonio was always able to handwave away any suspicion. Lukas showed interest in the pair a few times but nothing much was made of it. Lukas actually <em>was<em> able to beat Arthur and Antonio but since he wasn't actively trying to be in a competition with them the Brit and Spaniard figured that it didn't count.

When Antonio finally died, his spirit passed on rather quickly. Lovino was sad for a few days before he eventually disappeared too. That was the last that anyone had ever seen of either of them.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Eighteen—Next up! We listen to some beautiful music coming from a beautiful lady.<em>


	19. Life 19 I Sing For You

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 19; I Sing For You  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: He wanders down every day, waiting to listen to her song.  
><em>_Rating__: Hold your breath, everyone! I think this is actually rated K! *cheers* **Edit:** Dammit, I found another curse word. The elusive rating of K is still out of my reach...  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Um. Not sure, really. My bad writing skills definitely, a short chapter, maybe an abrupt ending, oh, and it may be a little difficult reading. Sorry about that.  
><em>_Characters__: (Fem?)Antonio, (Fem?) Lovino, Male!Belgium, mentions of Kiku, Heracles, Sadik, Ivan, Natalia, Katyusha, Alfred, Matthew, and Carlos (Cuba).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino (who is female is up to you [though it's probably obvious]), Heracles/Kiku.  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,397.  
><em>_Notes__: For some reason, I wanted to try writing in a different style. It was fun at first, but then I ran out of ideas of what to say. But anyways, writing experiments are fun! ^_^ (Hopefully it's not too confusing reading this.) Also, I rather hate this chapter. It's so...meh, to me. I don't blame you if you don't like it either._

_Reminder: I'm thinking of doing an FAQ thing, so if anyone has any questions that they want to be adressed about this particular Series of AU's AU, then don't hesitate to ask. Also, I recently talked with one of my Real Life friends about this series, and she happens to be a fan of WorldxWorld. Expect random crack-pairings as side pairings! XD_

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure when the first time he saw her was. It had been just another ordinary weekday. He had had to listen to his stupid boss spout random crap again, this time about how their company should invest more in tulip growth and production and pull back on their feline section of the business since cats were stupid. Things went downhill after that, but he had expected that. There were several employees who were ardent cat lovers, like that one Greek and Japanese couple who worked just a few cubicles down from him. There was no way that his boss would have gotten away with that—and so, he had to deal with his boss's depression afterwards. Not one of his best memories, since the guy still scared him. But that usually happened at least three times a week, so he was used to it.<p>

At any rate, he was sure that it had started raining shortly after he left work. He remembered quite clearly the slight drizzle that had made everything seem misty, almost like a fog was covering the street. It might have been the rain, but everything seemed quieter than usual. There weren't any random kids or teenagers hanging out around the older-styled buildings, there wasn't as much traffic out like usual. It was actually…quite peaceful. That, he remembered quite well, too. He had been walking down the old cobblestone through the Old Neighborhood that he had lived in for years, and his family before him, when he noticed that something was out of the ordinary. If it wasn't for the sudden quiet, he probably wouldn't have even heard it in the first place.

Singing.

Not just any kind of singing, either. It was like the singing of angels. Okay, so he was biased. But she… she had the most lovely voice that he had ever heard. He didn't know who she was, what she looked like, or even where she lived. He probably would have been drawn by her voice to find her, like a sailor to a siren, but the singing stopped shortly after it started. The rain stopped, and the sounds started up again. He was left wondering if it had all been just a dream.

* * *

><p>Try as he might, he couldn't get the sound of her voice out of his head. It was deep, mournful, a touch melancholy but still hopeful all at the same time. From that point on, he made it his mission to try and find the singer he had heard that one afternoon. It was difficult, though, since all he had to go on was that he could hear the singing when it was all quiet. Well, it was never that quiet on the streets; that time really had been a fluke. But he wouldn't give up. He was determined to find the singer. He didn't even know why, really. Just that he wanted to meet, or at least see, who the beautiful voice belonged to.<p>

After work, he would walk back and forth through the alley that he had heard the voice in. He would strain his ears but all he could hear was traffic. Once, he had thought about giving up—I mean, who would really keep this up just to meet someone who had sung very well that one time? He was starting to forget what the voice sounded like—when though a lull in the traffic he heard it-the voice. Without wasting any time, or even thinking things through, he was already hurrying down the alley, twisting through side streets, straining to try and hear the voice. Every now and then it would seem like the voice was growing louder and louder. Just when he was almost in the middle of the Old Neighborhood the singing stopped.

He came to a stop, panting from having run so far. Wiping the sweat off his face, he looked around to see if he recognized where he was. True, he lived in the Old Neighborhood but he lived on the outskirts. Judging by where he was now, he had made it somehow to the center. Like the name said, this was the oldest part of the city with buildings that were well over a hundred years old. People still lived here, of course, but for some reason he had always thought that the center of the Old Neighborhood was empty. Looking around, he could see that that wasn't the case. There were a few children here and there playing in the streets with no concern for traffic since cars couldn't reach here—the streets were too narrow, and the cobblestones would tear up any tires. He could also see various other people walking around, going about their daily lives with friends and family. There were colorful decorations on the old buildings and laundry hanging on clotheslines well above his head.

He looked around, but other than a few people giving him a few looks he saw nothing. He didn't get upset, though. He was already this much closer to finding the voice! Whoever she was, she probably either lived or worked here. All he would have to do is come back after work again and walk around the neighborhood. Maybe he would find her that way. With an idea in mind, he left.

* * *

><p>It took a few tries, but he was finally able to find her. She had the most beautiful brown hair, green eyes, and…well, everything about her was beautiful. He had taken to wandering over to the center after work in the afternoons where he would chat with the locals, a few of whom he was able to make friends with. While he would talk with his new friends he would listen to the sound of her singing. He didn't know who she was, or anything about her, really, but he still felt drawn to her. He tried not to be obvious with his staring; in fact he tried not to try to stare at her at all. He didn't need anyone thinking that he was stalking her—and despite the fact that he was coming by every day for months just to hear her singing didn't mean he was a stalker.<p>

One of his new friends, a smiling Belgian man, noticed though. One day while he was chatting with his friend, his friend smiled knowingly at him when the singing started again. He blushed, but his friend only laughed and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"You know, I could introduce the two of you," his friend said slyly. He blushed, looking away. He had never really thought about meeting her. He was fine with just listening to her singing from afar. But his friend had other ideas. Grabbing his hand, his friend led him to the entrance of an apartment building.

"Wait here," his friend said as he ran up the stairs. He had no choice but to wait until his friend came back. He stood there for about ten minutes before he heard the tell-tale sound of a couple of pairs of feet coming down the stairs. He straightened up and ran his hand through his hair, hoping to try and keep it tame. The first person to come through the door was his Belgian friend who smiled at him. His friend glanced back into the building and addressed the person behind him.

"I want to introduce you to a friend of mine," his friend said. His friend moved to the side, revealing the beautiful woman that he had seen before but from afar. In person, she was even more beautiful. She had the kindest smile on her face and slender limbs that made her seem even more graceful than he had thought. And the smile that she gave him? It made coming out here every day all the more worth it.

After introductions were made, his friend left the two to get to know each other better. The two of them stared at each other curiously, waiting for the other to start making conversation. He had a feeling that it probably wasn't a great idea to make a lady wait, so he cleared his throat. Her eyes lit up slightly when it looked like he was finally going to say something.

"So…how long have you lived here for?" For some reason it was the only question that came to mind. He internally winced at how lame of a question it was. Ordinary. He wanted to at least be able to make an impression on her, but if he kept asking random, generic questions like that then he probably wouldn't even get the chance to talk to her a second time. But she only smiled at him, making his stomach feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Oh, a couple of years," she said. "I know just about everybody here, actually. But I've only started seeing you around a few months ago. Did you move here recently?" He felt himself start to flush at the question. How was he supposed to say that he only came around to hear her sing? Yeah, that wasn't creepy or anything.

"O-oh, um," he said, looking around and tugging slightly at the hem of his shirt. "I actually live near the edge of the Old Neighborhood, and have my whole life. It's just that I made friends with that Belgian guy, so I started hanging around…or something," he finished lamely. She laughed, but not in a bad way like she was making fun of him or anything. More like she was amused by his sudden bout of embarrassment.

"Well, I'm glad you could come over," she said with a smile on her face. He felt like his stomach was alive with butterflies at her words. "I hope to see you around more often."

* * *

><p>He didn't let her down. Instead of coming just on the week days after work, he started coming around on the weekends as well. Every time he did, her face would light up and start practically glowing. The two started spending more and more time together, so much so that his friend once joked that the only reason he came anymore was for her and not his old friends. He tried to keep his visits varied after that, since he didn't want to lose any of his new friends.<p>

Work was still the same. He still had to deal with his boss whenever his boss' ideas for change in their department were shot down and once he even had to stop that one couple of cat lovers from storming into his boss' office. If he remembered right, that was the time when his boss had suggested that they close down their section of cat-related items all together. In between that and his visits to the center of the Old Neighborhood, he didn't really have enough time for just himself.

She commented on that once, a worried look on her face as she peered into his tired eyes.

"Why don't you ever take any time off for just yourself?" she asked. "You're always either at work or here; maybe you should…take a break or something?" He told her that it was because he was always busy, and he never really knew what to do with himself whenever he _did_ have spare time. She pursed her lips and said in a voice that left no room for discussion that they would spend the following Saturday together, so that she would make sure that he was actually enjoying himself. It was only after he had left, and was getting ready to go to bed that he realized that they were going to go on their first date.

* * *

><p>He was a nervous wreck. Where would he take her? To the petting zoo? He had heard good things about it, including some legend that if he confessed to her underneath one of the eating shelters then they would be together forever. But that made it seem like he was manipulating her or something, and he didn't want to do that. There was a flyer at work advertising a circus in one of the next towns over. He had also heard good things about this particular circus, but he also felt silly for taking her to a circus on their first date. It just all seemed really cliché, and he wanted this to be special.<p>

His coworkers somehow found out about his upcoming date and they all had opinions on where he should go. So far, the best one that he had heard was from the quiet Japanese man that was one of the co-heads of the cat department (an inter-office nickname).

"Perhaps you should go to the park? It's very lovely this time of year, and would be a nice place for two people who are not sure about their feelings to meet up." Somehow, it was decided that the two would meet at the park.

* * *

><p>He was nervous. They had agreed to meet up at the bus stop since it would be easier to walk to the park together from there. He arrived several minutes early, not wanting to be late, but now he had nothing to do except to wait for her to show up. Soon the designated time arrived and she appeared soon after. She was dressed up slightly today, with her long hair tied up in a bun, a short-sleeved shirt with a jacket and a pair of khakis. Just like every time he saw her, she was looking even more beautiful since the last time that he saw her. He didn't know how she did it, but she was always beautiful, no matter what she did. She could have been in old clothes for all he cared; she still would have looked good.<p>

After greeting each other, they headed off towards the park. On the way, the two talked about his job, his coworkers and boss, and pretty much anything else going on in his life. They also talked about her, though. He wanted to learn more about her, and she seemed flattered when he said so. From what she told him, he found out that she was raised by her Russian grandfather as a child up until his death when she was twenty. She moved to the Old Neighborhood when she was five after her parents died, since that was where her grandfather and his two sisters were living at the time. She said that she didn't really remember much about her great aunts since they either moved away or died shortly after she moved in with her grandfather, and he never liked to talk about them. It hurt, she said, for him to lose both of his sisters at once. She said that one of the few things that made him happy after that was for her to sing around the house, since he liked the sound of happy children. Apparently, even after his death her singing stuck with her since it seemed more natural than not.

Sometime along the way they came across an ice cream stand. The stand was run by three people, two brothers who looked like they had to be twins and a tan guy with dreadlocks in his hair. The dreadlock guy would keep glaring at one of the twins, who ignored him, and the twin in the middle looked like he was trying to stop the other two from either fighting each other or eating all of the ice cream. Since it was around lunch time, and he was feeling like a gentleman and didn't want to make her pay for herself, he bought the two of them an ice cream cone each. She happily took hers, and he had to stop himself from staring as she happily ate her treat. He led them over to a bench that was in the sun so they wouldn't get cold as they ate their ice cream.

"It's a beautiful park, don't you think?" she said after a moment, breaking the peaceful silence that had fallen over the two. It took him a moment to realize that she had said anything and when he did he looked out over the area around them. He made a humming sound of agreement.

"It's okay I guess," he said offhandedly. "Not as beautiful as you, though." Wait. He hadn't said that out loud, did he? Judging by the light blush on her face, apparently that was indeed the case. She giggled happily, sneakily scooting over to sit closer to him on the bench. He couldn't find it in himself to mind. Even after finishing off their frozen treats the two sat on the bench together, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Softly, she started singing again.

This time he knew that the song was for him.

* * *

><p>The two started 'officially' dating about two months after their date on that one Saturday in the park. They couldn't have been happier; then, she eventually proposed and he accepted. They were married three years after meeting, on the anniversary of their date in the park. The two never realized the coincidence, since it didn't really matter that much to them.<p>

All that did matter was each other.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Nineteen; Next up!—Don't worry, I'll be there to protect you!<em>


	20. Life 20 Lovino's Stalking Problems

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 20; Lovino's Stalking Problems  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Cop!Antonio x Stalked!Lovino; Antonio is a cop sworn to protect; can he help Lovino?  
><em>_Rating__: T for themes and language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Themes (such as stalkers, rowdy party-goers, etc.), some slight language later on, my writing skills (I won't say bad this time since I'm actually slightly proud of this chapter), chapter length, maybe the ending (I'm not good with endings, in case you haven't noticed), etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Francis, Tino, Lukas, Berwald, Feliks, Toris, Yao, Toris, Kyle (Australia), Feliciano, Yong Soo, Brazil (as an OC), and various other OC's.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Feliciano/Yong Soo, Toris/Feliks, one-sided Tino/Berwald, one-sided Lukas/Berwald, Berwald/Yao, Francis/Brazil, OC/OC, one-sided Stalker/Lovino, etc…  
><em>_Word Count__: 11,840.  
><em>_Notes__: So, I'm actually slightly proud of how this chapter turned out. Then I re-read it and now I think it's all utter garbage. I should probably stop doing that. Also, I have a deal for everyone—I don't mention Chapter 19 ever again and you don't mention Chapter 19 ever again. Let's just pretend that one never happened, okay? ^_^' _

_I should also warn you that what I know about police procedure and the like is from watching Law and Order (my roommate is obsessed). Not everything is exactly as it really is, but I tried my best. Also, I somehow managed to write Feliks talking without a single 'like' in his conversations! (Except for one place, but that doesn't really count :P) I hope you enjoy! ^_^_

* * *

><p>Interesting things happened on the night watch at the station, Antonio noticed. Night was, of course, the time that most crimes occurred so it wasn't that unusual or unexpected. Just interesting. For instance, Antonio was able to meet a lot of new people. Well, over time some of them stopped being 'new', and they only came in because they were being arrested, but the feeling was still there. Also, they were usually brought in for different things. Whenever his shift would get boring, Antonio would keep a tally of how many times a particular crime came up. Luckily there were more petty crimes overall, like streaking (last tally was sixteen overall), drunk and disorderly conduct (twenty-eight), and a few pickpockets (four; apparently, there was some big party going on at State Street tonight), than there were for the more serious crimes. From what Antonio could figure, for that night they had had two murderers, from different incidents, seven arsonists (what was it with people burning couches when they were celebrating?), and five cases of drug use.<p>

Why nobody was shutting down the party was a mystery.

At any rate, there were also times that someone would either phone in or come in person to report a crime or disturbance. Supposedly, there was supposed to be one person who manned the front desk to take these calls while another would greet whoever came in with a complaint. This wasn't always the case, since there were quite a few officers who were stuck in the office with nothing to do. For instance, it was currently Feliks on phone duty—Antonio was sure that whoever made that decision was kicking themselves right about now—and Tino on walk-in duty. Antonio was at his desk behind the main Front Desk with a few of his officer friends, waiting for either Feliks or Tino to tell him to do something. Until a complaint came in, he was left with nothing more to do than make other various lists, such as the tally of who came in with which crime while Kyle printed the criminals' fingers into the system and locked them up. Lukas, with the neatest handwriting out of everyone, wrote up the police reports and scheduled any further interviews if they were needed. There were already enough people working around, so Antonio was feeling bored.

He looked over at some of his friends at their own desks, laughing at something funny on the computer. Johnny had recently discovered a new website with funny pictures and sayings. Ever since, he had been playing around on the website every spare chance he had. Usually he could gather a rather large crowd, and always whenever Angela was around. Personally, Antonio was wondering when they would just confess to each other already, but he also figured that there was probably a rule against internal fraternization.

It was a shame. They would have made the cutest couple, in his opinion.

It was the middle of Antonio's shift on the night watch when the doors finally opened, drawing the Spaniard's attention away from the group watching 'de'-motivational pictures, or whatever it was they were giggling over. Antonio already had his pad of paper and pencil out, ready and waiting for whichever crime the person was being brought in for today (maybe it was prostitution; his friend Francis always got a kick out of that). He was slightly surprised to see that it wasn't anyone being led in by a fellow police officer and instead was a lone man with shifty eyes, glancing around nervously. This immediately got Antonio's attention. Anyone who came into the police station acting that nervous was usually up to no good. Then again, Antonio reasoned, he could just be here to visit a friend or family member who had been arrested. He looked over his shoulder back to where Lukas was dutifully filling out the police reports while ignoring his ringing phone (if it wasn't his brother, then he really didn't care), Kyle was joking around with the guys and a few girls in lock up, and the rest of the group was huddled around Johnny's computer. He had nothing better to do, so Antonio decided to continue watching the strange man as he approached the Front Desk.

Tino was in the middle of filling out paper work while Feliks chatted away on the phone, most likely to his boyfriend Toris. Feliks flipped his hair behind his ear as he waved his hand around at the same time. Antonio wasn't quite sure how he could do that while talking on the phone, but he had long since given up on figuring out the Polish man's secrets. The nervous man stood in front of the desk irritably, tapping his foot on the linoleum floor.

"Uh-huh, I know hun, and then _I_ said to _her-_"

"Uh, hello?"

"_Excuse me_, Toris. Apparently _somebody_ can't tell when an important _conversation_ is taking place," Feliks huffed into his phone, turning to the new man with the air of a practiced diva. "Well? Can't you tell that I'm busy or something?" The man blinked slowly, seeming to have temporarily forgotten his nervousness. He raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you supposed to be saving that phone for actual phone calls?" Feliks sniffed, turning his head away. He waved his hand in the general direction of where Tino seemed to be swamped with paperwork, something Antonio thought was rather odd. Usually Lukas took care of that kind of thing even though technically it was still Tino's responsibility. They must have had a falling out or something, Antonio decided. The nearest he could figure was that both liked that new Swedish sergeant who worked on the morning shift, but he—being Berwald, the Swedish sergeant—didn't even notice that either were alive.

Oh, interoffice romances. You bring such entertainment to those who are bored stiff with their mundane jobs.

"Yeah, that's Tino's job," Feliks shooed the man to his colleague. "He handles the walk-ins." And with that, Feliks officially lost interest in anything not relating to his riveting conversation with his boyfriend. Antonio watched idly as the nervous man cautiously took a glance over his shoulder before shuffling to where Tino had officially given up on collating and printing in triplicate. Tino looked up with just the barest hint of gratitude in his eyes for the man who was giving him a well-earned break from his work. And Tino was just that nice, too.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

The man took a deep breath, seeming to think over what he wanted to say carefully. Antonio took this moment to get a better look at him. The man seemed to be in his late twenties, a few years younger than Antonio himself, and stood about a little less than half a head shorter than Antonio. He had brown hair with an interesting curl on the right side of his head as well as caramel brown eyes with a few flecks of green around the edges. He wore nice clothes, something Antonio would probably never be able to afford on his police salary. Antonio wondered what the man was doing there. He didn't look like the typical sort of person who would come in and inform on some kind of criminal activity—that was usually what the public ended up coming in for, if not to visit with those in the holding cells. But the way he kept looking over his shoulder every now and then told Antonio, with his many years of experience on the police force, that there was something wrong with this picture. Antonio leant forward at his desk so he could hear better—the sudden bursts of laughter from behind didn't really help much.

"I—I want to report a…a stalker." The man said this last part so silently, his face flushing with embarrassment, that Antonio could barely hear him. When he did, Antonio was sure that he must have overheard. This man had a stalker? Or was it that he knew someone that was stalking someone else? Judging from his embarrassed expression and actions, though, it was most likely the former. He furrowed his brows. Antonio hated it whenever something like this happened. Judging by Tino's frown and the fact that Feliks wasn't talking on his end of the phone anymore, they didn't like hearing about stalking cases either.

"I see," Tino said quietly. He sat up in his seat, a professional look on his face. "Can you give me the basics of your case?" The man took a shaky breath—and looked over his shoulder again—and began to tell his tale. His name was Lovino Vargas, one of the co-chefs and co-owners of the Roman Estate Hotel and Restaurant, one of the greatest hotel chains in the city. His brother is Feliciano Vargas, part-time co-chef and co-owner of a hotel, part-time fashion extraordinaire. His brother was dating Korean Pop Star Im Yong Soo, so at first Lovino wasn't too surprised when he started getting strange phone calls at his apartment that he shared with his brother.

It was when Lovino started noticing traces of someone…_else_…being inside of their apartment that he grew worried. He called in a locksmith, but shortly after someone broke in for real while his brother was off on a tour with his boyfriend and Lovino himself was at work.

"Why didn't you file a report?" Tino asked. By then Antonio had managed to migrate over by the front desks. Lovino scowled at the three police officers in front of him.

"I _did_," he protested. "This was three months ago." Tino, Antonio and Feliks exchanged looks with each other. If Lovino really did file a report then they should still have it. Technically it was Tino's job to do that, but Lukas lately has been the one to write out such things. Tino should have been able to just simply go over to the Norwegian man and ask for the report. But, since the two weren't on speaking terms any more… Tino glanced hopefully at Feliks. Feliks huffed but agreed.

"Toris baby, I'mma need to let you go now…no, not literally silly. But, you know, apparently I'm at work; who knew?" With that he hung up and sauntered over to Lukas to demand, in his own way, that Lukas hand over those reports, like, yesterday honey because Feliks has better things to _do_ than just hang around while Lukas looks at him like an idiot (really, he was looking at the Polish man in confusion; he was pretty sure that this was the first time that Feliks had ever spoken to him).

Tino turned back to Lovino with a slightly strained smile on his face. "Don't worry; we're just looking for that report so we can backup your statement." Lovino scowled—again—and crossed his arms over his chest. Antonio was surprised to see a pout on the other man's face. How unexpectedly adorable.

"What, you think I'm lying or something? That I'm making up my property damage and emotional scars?" Tino's eyes went wide and he started denying everything that Lovino was saying in a loud voice. A few curious heads turned to look their way. That was when Antonio decided that he had better step in, before something happened that they regretted. He had a feeling that Lovino probably didn't want to draw that much attention to himself.

"That's not what Tino meant," Antonio said in a soothing voice, leaning on the Front Desk. "What he meant was that it's always great to have evidence in your kind of case. That way we can have something to take to the District Attorney as proof that this person has been stalking you, and then we can put him or her in jail. He didn't doubt you, ¿_sí?_" Lovino's face flushed for some reason but he nodded in agreement, looking away awkwardly as he did so. Antonio was confused over this action, but Tino merely smiled secretly in response to Antonio's questioning gaze.

"Found it! You can all totally praise me now, you guys." Feliks waltzed back to his seat, tossing the file that they were waiting for on the desk with a _flop!_ After briefly looking over the particulars, Antonio and Tino turned back to Lovino, who was still waiting somewhat impatiently. Antonio was just impressed that he even came in at all; usually victims of stalking cases never came in because their stalker usually threatened or scared them into not coming. He was still looking over his shoulder every now and then, something Tino noted with a frown.

"Mr. Vargas?" Lovino flinched slightly when he heard his name but quickly recovered, looking over at the Front Desk warily. "Do you know who your stalker is? Sometimes it's a person that the victim knows personally…"

"I'm not a victim!" Lovino snapped. Tino blinked in surprise at the sudden outburst. Lovino was breathing heavily. Antonio had a feeling that this had been bothering him for a while. He put on his best comforting face, something that had helped him numerous times when talking to others like Lovino. He hoped that he could help the poor man.

"We know that," he said soothingly. Lovino glanced at him. Antonio made sure that he was smiling—Francis had always told him that his smile could light up the whole world for somebody. "Can you tell us more about your story?" Lovino didn't look appeased at all, but did look like he needed to get this off his mind. "We can continue the interview in another room if it'll make you feel better," he said when Lovino gave another glance over his shoulder towards the door. Antonio didn't know if the other man was expecting for there to be someone with their face pressed up against the glass peering in or not. At the mention of moving away from the door and to a more secluded and safe place Lovino visibly relaxed. Antonio smiled, taking the notes that Tino had written up about the case so far as well as the burglary report that Lovino had filed earlier.

"I'll take the case," Antonio said to the Finnish man who gave him a smile. Antonio was glad too. He had been bored with nothing better to do, but now he had a chance to help someone. _This_ was why he became a cop in the first place.

* * *

><p>After leading the way to an empty interrogation room, Antonio sat down on one side of the table as he placed the files on the table. Lovino slowly, but much more calmly than before, took his seat across the table. Antonio opened the notes that Tino had written up so far and stared at the piece of paper for a few minutes. He really wished that Tino and Lukas would get over their fighting and make up soon—Tino's handwriting was horrible. He could barely read it normally, but since Tino had been in a rush writing down what Lovino had told them…let's just say, it was a good thing that Antonio had worked with Tino for a long time—he could at least decipher what it was saying after a few minutes.<p>

After Antonio was able to get the gist of what his colleague had written down, he looked back up at Lovino. The other man was slumped slightly in his chair, staring at nothing. Glancing down at his wristwatch, Antonio realized why—it was close to three in the morning. It wasn't unheard of for someone to come in this late (or early, depending how you looked at it) to report a crime, but it was still rather unusual. From what Antonio had seen in the past, people would usually come in during the daylight hours when it was more convenient. If Lovino came in this late (early, whatever) then that meant that he was probably really, really freaked out and worried about what was happening to him. That made Antonio sad. He didn't like it when others were pushed to desperation like this—he would catch the stalker no matter what, Antonio decided.

"I was just re-reading the statement you've given so far," Antonio said, catching Lovino's attention. "We got to the part where someone broke into your apartment… what makes you think that you're the one being stalked if you share the place with your brother?" Lovino frowned. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bundle of papers, all looking like they had been torn straight from any notebook that you could buy just about anywhere. The pages were torn around the edges and very crumbled like someone had wadded it into a ball and thrown it through a window. As Antonio looked closer at the different pages laid out in front of him on the table, he noticed that the words on them were either written in the shaky scrawl of someone trying to hide their identity or were formed from magazine clippings. The messages pretty much said the same thing—"_I see you, Lovino Vargas!" "You can't escape," "I'm coming for you," "We'll be together soon enough,"_ and Antonio's personal favorite "_Don't tell the pigs if you know what's good for you!_" It had been a while since Antonio was actually insulted like that. How refreshing to know that people out there still hated him because of his profession. Jerks. Along with the notes were a few pictures of Lovino. At first they didn't seem that out of the ordinary, but then Antonio noticed that they were taken at odd angles, a few were blurry with objects in between the subject in the photograph and the photographer, and Lovino wasn't looking at camera. These were clearly taken without his knowledge.

"I see…" Antonio didn't bother touching the pages and instead moved them around with a pencil. "We'll need to bag these and see if we can come up with any prints…" he muttered almost to himself. "A handwriting analysis, too." Gloria, down in the forensics lab, would get a kick out of these notes. She loved things like this, and loved catching the people who wrote these notes even more. After writing a quick note to himself to schedule a time to bring these down to her, Antonio asked Lovino to continue his story.

After the break in, Lovino's brother Feliciano moved in with his boyfriend Yong Soo for a few weeks. He still had yet to move back in, even though half of his stuff was still in the apartment. When the notes started coming about a week or so after the break in, Lovino had naturally thought that maybe they were supposed to be for his brother since he was dating a celebrity and the notes weren't addressed to anyone in particular at first. He had told Yong Soo about them, and they both agreed that Feliciano didn't need to know about the horrible notes. It would just make him more upset. But then the notes kept coming, even though it was clear to see that Feliciano didn't live there anymore, and they came addressed straight to Lovino.

At first he had tried to brush it off. Yeah, it was creepy and everything but so far it had just been the notes. Nothing was even taken during the break-in, and the telephone calls had stopped. When Lovino went out to dinner once with a potential business client who was thinking of purchasing advertising for the hotel in exchange for having their company be endorsed by the hotel line, that's when things took a dramatic turn for the worse. Antonio was surprised that Lovino explained it exactly that way, too.

Apparently during dinner his companion, a young woman in her early thirties, went to the restroom at the restaurant they were at and came back with a death threat and a knife found in her purse. The meeting was called off, and Lovino never heard from that company again. Similar things started happening to anyone that Lovino showed the slightest bit of interest in until eventually the Hotel and Restaurant chain started to suffer from the lack of business. Earlier that night, however, was the final straw.

Lovino had apparently taken to staying as late as he could at work so that way he wouldn't be alone so often. He didn't know who his stalker was, but they liked to strike whenever Lovino was by himself. It was a little after midnight that Lovino finally left the Roman Estate. The cab ride back to his apartment was uneventful, and Lovino was almost thinking that his stalker hadn't sent any notes while he was away. However, when he made it to his door he noticed the signs that it had been broken into again. He had cautiously opened his door, not sure what he would find on the other side when he noticed that the entire apartment was trashed—as if someone in a rage had been looking for something…or someone. That in itself was enough to freak Lovino out, but when his door closed behind him there was another note pinned to the door by a knife.

Lovino handed over the note shakily, as pale as if he had seen a ghost. There was a hole through the top where the knife—something else that Lovino handed over to Antonio delicately—had been holding it in place. This note was written in the same handwriting as before, but much more angrily than the other notes.

"_DIE!"_

Antonio looked at the note for a long time. He didn't know how long he sat there for, but it was long enough that Lovino stopped shaking as bad as before when Antonio looked up again. "I can't tell you what to do, but I would strongly advise that you try to find another place to live—at least for as long as it takes to catch this person." Lovino could only nod miserably, no doubt also coming to the same conclusion.

* * *

><p>"Wow, you have a lot of stuff in here," said Antonio as he looked around Lovino's apartment. After talking things over with his brother, they both agreed that it would be best to just sell the place since Feliciano was ready to take his relationship with Yong Soo to the next level and move in officially with him. When Feliciano heard about Lovino's stalker, he was understandably upset that his brother and boyfriend hadn't said anything about it to him. True, he was still very upset and scared for his brother, but Feliciano also knew that getting freaked out wouldn't help anything and would just make Lovino's situation worse. Lovino was surprised that his brother could be so considerate. Antonio just thought that the interactions between the two Italian brothers were adorable.<p>

That still left Lovino with the dilemma of finding somewhere else to stay. Once he found out that there was an end in sight to his stalking nightmare Lovino opened up more and started acting less and less nervous. Antonio was happy for this, even if that meant that Lovino started insulting him. Antonio didn't care, though—he knew that this was just part of Lovino's personality that made him insecure. It was because of this insecurity that Lovino was having trouble looking for a new place to live for a while. Antonio suggested that Lovino stay with a friend while the investigation was underway, but apparently there was no one willing to let him stay for however long it took. Antonio felt awkward when he heard this from Lovino himself, but then Feliciano intruded in on their conversation.

It turns out that Yong Soo was having a concert tour for the better part of a year soon. After Feliciano's begging, the couple agreed to let Lovino stay in their apartment until they either came back from tour or the stalker was caught. Lovino at first disagreed, saying he didn't want to always have to depend on his stupid little brother, but Antonio managed to convince him otherwise. It was really unlikely that a stalker would be able to get to Lovino in the apartment of a famous star—there was so much security put into place that Antonio had the feeling that his job would be a lot easier. That was good, because the stalker would end up getting caught quicker. Because of various reasons the police department was getting in more and more calls over various misdemeanors and other crimes. They couldn't spare all of the available resources needed for this kind of case so any little thing helped.

Of course, the most advanced security system that money could buy wasn't exactly 'little,' but the thought was still there.

Currently, Antonio was on watch to look out for Lovino while he moved his things out of his old apartment and into the one shared by his brother and Yong Soo. Since he was there anyway, Lovino suggested that Antonio actually make himself useful and help him pack and move his things. Antonio couldn't really see why not, so there he was packing boxes alongside Lovino in the middle of his rather large living room. Lovino scoffed at Antonio's statement about his things.

"Not all of it is mine, you know," he snorted derisively, taping his particular cardboard box closed. He looked around the living room, crowded with other various cardboard boxes that took up most of the empty space. "I think this is good for now; we should start loading these up in the rental truck. We'll get the rest later." Antonio shrugged, standing up and stretching. After leaning forward so he could pack up the boxes all morning, his shoulders were starting to feel very stiff. Antonio stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall. He frowned. They started packing at around ten that morning, something that he was absolutely sure about. But the clock was saying that they had only been there for about an hour. That couldn't be right. Antonio looked down at his wristwatch. Sure enough, it was nearing one-thirty in the afternoon.

Now, there could have been many harmless reasons why the clock in Lovino's living room was off by a couple of hours. It could have slowed down naturally, the batteries could have died, or it could have ended up stuck that way. The point is that clock could have had the wrong time for any number of innocent reasons. However, because of recent events that mainly focused on Lovino having a most likely mentally unstable stalker following him, Antonio wasn't so sure that this clock was actually as 'innocent' as it seemed. As subtly as he could, Antonio started looking around at other clocks that were hung up in the Italian's apartment. They were all set to a different time, and all were set to make Lovino late if he went by them. Antonio frowned. This didn't look so good.

"Hey, Lovino." Lovino turned to look at Antonio with a raised eyebrow, his arms full with carrying two cardboard boxes to the front door. Antonio wasn't quite sure where Lovino managed to find so many empty boxes to use for packing, but that didn't really matter right now. "When you came home that one time before coming to the police, did you notice if anything was moved, or taken?" Lovino frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He gently set the boxes down on the floor.

"Now that you mention it, no; I was kind of too freaked out by that point to actually check if anything had been taken," he said dryly, the distaste for the situation clear in his voice. "Why do you ask?" Antonio debated about whether he should keep the issue of the clocks to himself but thought otherwise. It would come out eventually, and it was better that Lovino know now while he was safe than find out some other time when the circumstances weren't so favorable.

"The clocks in your apartment are all off," Antonio gestured to the clock on the living room wall as evidence. Lovino stared around in confusion, perhaps only just noticing the time difference. "Your stalker may have done that so that way you would be late for work or for anything else. These kinds of people tend to favor controlling their targets, and this way your stalker would be able to mess with both your professional and your social life. Has there been anything else that you noticed was different than usual? Maybe right after the breaking and entering incidents?" Lovino was looking around the apartment like he didn't recognize it anymore. Antonio felt a stab of pity and guilt; he didn't mean to make Lovino uncomfortable, but that seemed to be what was happening now. Whoever this stalker was, he (or she; you could never rule out either gender in these kinds of things) was doing a pretty good job of messing up Lovino's life. That just made Antonio want to catch them even more so now.

* * *

><p>About two weeks after reporting his stalker and one week after packing up and moving out of his old apartment, Lovino finally moved into the one shared by his brother and his brother's lover. Antonio spent about a day and a half going over the new apartment and making sure that it was okay for Lovino to move into. This meant sweeping the place for bugs and other listening and surveillance equipment and personally moving Lovino in himself to make sure that they weren't followed. Except for an embarrassing moment where Antonio found a video camera set up in Lovino's brother's room (that apparently belonged to Feliciano and his boyfriend), the place was remarkably well-set up. Antonio didn't have any fears about keeping the poor Italian here while they set out to find his stalker.<p>

Technically, Antonio didn't even need to do so much for just a simple stalking case, and especially not by himself. But he had also always been a 'hands-on' type of person so Antonio couldn't just leave anything up to anyone else. Besides, he was starting to make friends with Lovino—you know, when the other wasn't busy cursing him out in Italian. But he had a feeling that was just Lovino. And Antonio had heard worse before—his instructor over at the police academy, Major Flint, knew curses that could even make some of the most hardened men blush. Compared to him, Lovino's cursing was as cute as a baby's cooing.

However, Antonio was starting to devote too much time to this one case. He had a pile of others that was already waiting for him on his desk back at the precinct, he knew. After making sure that Lovino knew how to check to see if he was being followed on his way to and from work and teaching a few basic self-defense moves Antonio reluctantly departed back to the police department. At first things seemed to be going good with the stalking case. Gloria had managed to find out that Lovino's stalker was indeed a man by some kind of DNA fiber that was left on the hilt of the knife that was once stuck in Lovino's door, though that was the only thing that she could find out. Antonio made sure to bring her an extra-large blueberry muffin for her hard work, though she still seemed disappointed by the lack of progress. Just like the DNA analysis turned out to be a bust, apparently there weren't any clear prints left on the notes except for one that was already turning badly degraded. So far there wasn't any luck with finding anyone that it matched to.

But Antonio wasn't giving up hope. He stayed up late at night studying the case file and trying to make sense of the series of events. From what he could figure, Lovino's stalker started up around the time that Feliciano started dating Yong Soo, though he could have been at it for a while before. If that was the case, then why start openly stalking and tormenting Lovino once his brother got a boyfriend? The closest that Antonio could figure out after consulting his friend Francis (who was a professional psychologist that specialized in relationships) Lovino's stalker might have started showing himself because he—Lovino's stalker—confused the two brothers for each other and thought that it was Lovino who had the new boyfriend. When it was proven shortly after that this wasn't the case at all, the stalker probably wanted to let Lovino know that he was still there and would always be there, watching from the shadows and making sure that Lovino didn't stray from their 'relationship'.

At least, that was what happened according to Francis. It sounded better than anything that Antonio could come up with himself, so that's what he went with.

After a month went by with nothing else being done, whether on the side of the police or that of the stalker, Antonio was starting to think that perhaps the stalker had finally given up since the target of his attention had moved to somewhere the stalker didn't know about. Francis warned him that that wasn't the case; instead, moving Lovino would just make the stalker even more upset, and would lead to something drastic. That made Antonio start to feel a little nervous but he tried to shrug it off. Francis stared at him before sighing and moving to get up from the table they were sharing dinner over.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said ominously over his shoulder as he left. As always, Antonio should have listened to his friend.

The very next night, a frantic call was made to the police department during Antonio's evening watch from a few different people including Lovino. Someone had come over and smashed one of the restaurant windows in with a baseball bat and thrown a Molotov cocktail into the building. Luckily there was a fire station nearby that came almost immediately so there wasn't too much damage done to the building as a whole. But the front of the restaurant was reduced to ash and cinders and there were fire marks on all the walls and the ceiling. It would take months to repair, and that's not to mention how much money Lovino and his brother would have to spend on repairs.

Antonio walked over to Lovino after the fire damage was inspected and draped a blanket around his trembling shoulders. He had just gotten finished talking with the chief of the fire department, who was under the impression that it was more drunken party-revelers that had caused the damage—the chief himself had just come back from having to put out two different cars that had been flipped over and set on fire and there were still drunken cheers and jeers in the air, so it was a valid assumption. But Antonio knew better. He could tell by how upset Lovino was right now that this particular incident wasn't caused by drunken rioters. Lovino was acting just as shifty as he was when he came in a little over a month ago to report on his stalking case.

When the blanket draped over Lovino's shoulders he looked up quickly with wide, shiny eyes straight into Antonio's own concerned green eyes. Lovino was breathing shakily, leading Antonio to believe that the Italian was trying not to cry in public or show just how scared he was right now. But Antonio could still hear the hopelessness in Lovino's voice when he asked "Why is someone doing this to me?" in a voice that was too tiny to be heard easily, especially over the fire truck and police sirens in the background. Antonio frowned, not having an answer. He didn't know what he would have said at that time if he had had the chance, but he was cut off before beginning by Lovino showing him something that was clenched tightly in his hand. It was a piece of badly torn and slightly burnt paper, and as Antonio unfolded it he had a feeling of dread settle in the pit of his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what this particular note said.

"_Thought you could run away? Just you wait, Lovino Vargas! I'll find you soon enough! And when I do-"_

The rest, thankfully enough, was cut off by a scorch mark on the paper. Antonio didn't need to read any more to know that this stalker was dangerous. A choked-back sob broke Antonio's concentration and brought his attention back to the miserable-looking Italian in front of him. Antonio's jaw clenched. Lovino was rubbing as hard as he could at his eyes in the vain attempt of stopping the tears that were starting to leak from his eyes. He hiccupped a few times and seemed to close in on himself as he tried to hide his face and his public emotional breakdown from Antonio and anyone else who might be watching at the moment. Antonio looked around anxiously. He wasn't really that great with dealing with things like this—it was why he always solved the crimes instead of dealing with the victims. Lovino was somehow a special case. When it looked like nobody was paying any special attention to the two of them Antonio placed a light hand on the Lovino's back and led them to a more secluded spot away from the crowd. When they stopped Lovino sniffled to himself, tugging the blanket around himself tighter.

"I'll get someone to take you home," Antonio said quietly when it looked like Lovino was starting to get a better hold of himself. As soon as the words were out of his mouth Lovino looked at him with a wild, desperate look in his eyes. His hand suddenly had a grasp of Antonio's shirt, something Antonio hadn't noticed at first.

"Wh-what? N-no, you can't leave me by m-myself, b-bastard!" After seeing what that stalker was reducing Lovino to, as well as that note, Antonio couldn't agree more. Truthfully, he didn't want someone else to look after Lovino. They wouldn't be able to make him feel better, and they wouldn't know how to handle him. Plus, Antonio just didn't trust anyone else with Lovino for some reason. And after this little incident here, Antonio wasn't about to just leave Lovino by himself anymore.

It was time for Antonio to step up his game if he wanted to protect Lovino and catch this stalker.

* * *

><p>The very next day Antonio moved into the apartment across the hall from the one where Lovino was currently staying. The rent was definitely a lot higher than his rent-controlled low rise that he had been living in before, especially on a cop's salary, but it was worth it. Antonio just wouldn't be able to hang out with Francis as much as he usually would since the Frenchman was usually the cause of Antonio not having a lot of money in the first place. But, after thinking about it, Antonio was sure that Francis probably wouldn't mind that much. He had started seeing a Brazilian lady recently and apparently they were getting rather serious. If Antonio hadn't been the one to suggest that they stop getting lunch and dinner everyday together as well as the random bar-hop on the weekends then he was sure that Francis would have been the one to do so.<p>

As Antonio moved his relatively small number of things (when compared to Lovino and his brother) into his new apartment he thought about what he usually thought about nowadays. Lovino. He didn't know how, or why, and was scared to think about what it meant but he had been thinking about the Italian nonstop recently. Antonio wasn't sure what it was about Lovino that made him act this way—maybe it was his weird, gravity-defying hair curl or his spunky attitude that had unfortunately been disappearing lately. Maybe it was the odd quirk of his lips when it looked like he was about to smile at something Antonio said or did, or maybe it was the way that he seemed to command Antonio's full and complete attention no matter what he did.

Or maybe it was just Lovino's beautiful eyes that seemed to change from caramel to forest green to somewhere in between depending on his mood. Eyes were always said to be the windows to the soul, and Antonio could see almost everything that was there. That had never happened with anyone else, and Antonio was slightly frustrated that Lovino started putting himself on guard around Antonio and others recently. It was as if someone had pulled a pair of blinds over Antonio's windows to Lovino's soul so he could only catch a glimpse in between the slats of the blinds.

At any rate, Antonio was sure that he wasn't supposed to be acting like this right now. He was currently a cop investigating the stalking case of one Lovino Vargas. That's all it was supposed to be, with everything as professional as it could get. Instead, Antonio was moving in next to Lovino so he could keep a better eye on him even though renting the place for a few months would have been better financially speaking. Antonio couldn't even pretend anymore that he was keeping an eye on the situation. He had a feeling about what was going on but he refused to think about it.

What mattered most right now, more so than anything, was Lovino's safety.

With that in mind, Antonio cast one last look up and down the hallway before finally settling on Lovino's apartment door. It was the last sight that he saw of the hallway as he closed his own door in front of him.

…He _really_ didn't want to turn into another stalker for Lovino. The poor guy was suffering enough as it was.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, apparently Antonio wasn't the only one who wanted company from across the hall. Lovino started coming over in the evenings, saying that the apartment he was staying in was too big for just him by himself. Antonio probably should have refused, especially after figuring out that he was starting to get just a little unprofessional. If he kept this up, he would end up just leading Lovino on and instigating…whatever it was that was going on between them. But—Antonio just didn't <em>want<em> to leave Lovino alone. He didn't want to say goodbye. So, he let Lovino into his apartment. Oh, if only Francis could see him now; Antonio didn't even want to know what the psychologist would make out of this one.

Despite all of this, Antonio knew something had to give eventually. The longer he prolonged this the worse it would be in the end for not only himself but also for Lovino. Antonio's new number one rule was that no one was allowed to hurt Lovino, not even Antonio. Keeping things the way they were now was going to hurt him. So, one late night just after his evening shift Antonio sat up in his small kitchenette writing up a report on the case so far as well as his recommendation that he be taken off of the case, even suggesting that Johnny take on the case. It would definitely help him with that promotion that Johnny was aiming for, especially since Antonio was sure that the case was almost over. All Johnny had to do was catch the stalker.

Antonio sat back in his chair, the light from the overhead lamp shining on the table in a halo of pale light. It was the only light source in the darkened room. He wasn't sure if that was working better for his tired eyes or if it would have been better to have more lights on. Either way, his eyes were starting to burn from overuse. He reached up and rubbed at them tiredly, glancing back at the report that he had managed to write up late at night. All it needed was his signature and then he would be able to turn it in first thing tomorrow. That would be the end of everything. It would be awkward living next door to Lovino, and especially to Feliciano and Yong Soo when they came back from Yong Soo's concert tour. Antonio sighed heavily when he realized he would have to look around in the newspaper again for another place to live. Luckily, considering the circumstances and his job, Antonio had managed, somehow, to stay in this current apartment without a lease. He was sure that it was probably illegal otherwise, but the owner of the building was sympathetic. Antonio would have to talk to him about moving out soon—

Antonio paused. He thought he heard a sound from outside the door. Antonio held his breath, listening for any more sounds. It was late at night, and Antonio was tired. He was probably just hearing things…

He sat up straighter, feeling a rush of adrenaline making its way through his veins. He wasn't tired anymore. That was definitely a noise outside. There were only a few people living on this particular floor and Antonio knew all of their schedules by now—no one should have been up and walking around the halls at this time of night/morning, especially when it sounded like they were _sneaking towards Lovino's apartment._

Oh, my god, Antonio thought. It's the stalker. It was the only person it could be. Antonio narrowed his eyes. That bastard was getting himself arrested tonight one way or the other. Whichever way it was, Antonio would make sure that he couldn't hurt Lovino anymore.

Antonio cautiously crept from his chair towards the door where he kept a police baton for situations like this (though, of course, not for this kind of situation _exactly_; just for whenever he needed to bust a head open). After wrapping his dominant hand around the grip tightly, Antonio peered out cautiously through the peep hole in his door. Through the distorted glass sphere he could see a vague shape that could have been a man approach Lovino's door. Something broke away from the blob and Antonio realized that it was the man's arm—and he had what could have been a knife in hand. Antonio smirked. Oh, how he loved exigent circumstance in all of its many forms. It didn't really apply to this kind of circumstance, but it was as good enough an excuse that Antonio needed for later if something unexpected came up.

Such as the blob-man suing Antonio. Antonio hated getting sued by the people he put away.

Placing his free hand over the door knob, he slowly and quietly turned the handle so that the door opened silently. The man—who could only be the stalker; Antonio saw another note sticking out of the man's pocket—didn't even know that Antonio was there. Antonio's smirk turned grim and chilling as his eyes narrowed even more. It was time to see if the stalker liked being snuck up on when he didn't know anyone was there and scared out of his mind. Give him a taste of his own medicine, Antonio thought darkly.

When Antonio stepped out fully into the hallway he approached the stalker quickly and determinedly. He was glad that he hadn't had a chance to change out of his uniform yet. He pulled out his badge and flashed it at the man's back as he said loudly "Police! Put your hands where I can see them!" If he had forgotten to give the man a chance or forgot to Mirandize the bastard then technically it was an illegal arrest. Antonio would never give the creep the chance to get away like that, no matter how much Antonio wanted to pound in the guy's head until it was unidentifiable mush.

The stalker froze, turning around quickly and wielding his knife dangerously. Antonio's eyes flashed. Did this guy really think he was a match for Antonio? How laughable—especially considering Antonio was the seven-time holding champion in their precinct for hand-to-hand fighting like this. Plus, he had the burning, fiery passionate need to defend Lovino; nothing could stop him now.

The stalker lunged forward with his knife, hoping to stab Antonio in the chest. Antonio easily read through the motion and turned to the side to avoid the sharp blade. While the man's knife-wielding arm was still extended Antonio struck with his baton at the man's wrist, forcing him to drop the knife. In a single, fluidic motion Antonio kicked the knife down the hallway so that nobody would get hurt stepping on it. The stalker through a punch at Antonio that connected with the side of his face. Antonio dropped to his knees, the stinging pain in his cheek making his eyes water slightly. The man could throw a good right-hook, apparently.

The smart thing for the stalker to do would have been to try to get away while Antonio was distracted. There was a crazed look in the man's eyes, though, so Antonio had the feeling that he wasn't thinking logically anymore. Instead, the man was running on pure animalistic instinct that told him to try and beat up the person who was coming in between himself and Lovino.

The man lunged once again towards Antonio with the intent of wrapping his rather large, meaty hands around the Spaniard's neck and choking him. Antonio was quicker and struck once again with his baton but this time towards the man's knees. The stalker landed on the floor with a hard crash, temporarily dazed. Antonio didn't wait for a chance to let the man catch his breath. He placed his foot on the man's stomach and roughly turned him so that the man was lying face down on the floor. Antonio placed his knee in the center of the man's back as he wrapped one of the man's arms around so that Antonio had a good hold and leverage over the other man. Both were breathing hard after their brief scuffle.

"When I say 'Police, hands where I can see them' I expect you to do that," Antonio coldly told the man he was currently handcuffing. The man turned his head so that he could glare hatefully at Antonio.

"You'll never come in between me and Lovino! You just don't understand what we have." Antonio raised an eyebrow, a hard look on his face.

"I understand that Lovino's terrified of you and doesn't want you in his life ever again."

"That's because you filled his head with lies! You and that whore brother of his! Things were going great until you came into the picture. You changed him! Give me my Lovino back!" Antonio snarled and shoved him into the carpet.

"Lovino was _never_ yours," he growled into the man's ear. A scuffling from the side made Antonio look up in surprise. Sometime during the scuffle Lovino and a few others had come out into the hallway, no doubt having heard the fighting from outside. The neighbors were whispering to each other but thankfully stayed away from the scene of action. Lovino stood frozen at the door to his brother's apartment, staring at the stalker—the cause of his misery for the past half a year—with a strange look on his face. There was the initial fear, of course, but there was also anger and resentment on his face. Antonio looked to the side awkwardly, not sure what to say anymore. He wasn't even sure if he could look Lovino in the face after this. True, he had caught the stalker but…what now?

"Hey, can you call the precinct for me?" Antonio asked one of the neighbors who was watching the scene idly. "I kind of have my hands full with making sure this guy doesn't go anywhere." The neighbor blinked his eyes, not having expected to be addressed. He pulled out his cell phone shortly after though and started talking quietly and hurriedly into the speaker, informing whoever was on dispatch (Feliks, most likely) about what had happened.

That reminded Antonio…

"You have the right to remain silent," he told the stalker in his official police business tone. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney—if you can't afford one then one will be provided for you."

"I don't need an attorney!" the stalker snapped at Antonio hatefully. He turned his face so that he could stare at Lovino with something like obsession in his eyes. "All I need is Lovino, and all he needs is me." Antonio felt like he was going to be sick. This guy was _really_ pushing things, especially by saying that in front of not only Antonio but also Lovino. As if the poor guy wasn't already emotionally and mentally scarred by all of this.

"You know that right to remain silent? I would really take it if I were you," Antonio told the man as he glared at him. He was surprised to see the stalker brighten up, and was even more surprised, and a little worried, when he saw that it was because Lovino was slowly approaching them.

"Lovino! Tell the pig about all the good times we've had! Tell him how much I mean to you. We can be together soon, if you get this guy off of me!" Lovino stayed a cautious few feet away from his stalker and stared down with an indecipherable expression on his face. Slowly, very slowly, he approached even closer. "That's right, tell him-!"

"You're wrong," Lovino said simply in a hollow tone. Antonio was starting to get worried about how well Lovino was holding up. Why weren't the police there yet? The stalker seemed startled to hear what Lovino said. "My brother is not a whore." With that, Lovino kicked the stalker in the face, breaking the man's nose. The stalker cried out in pain as blood started pooling on the carpet underneath his face. There was a sick look of satisfaction on Lovino's face.

Antonio leapt off of the stalker and gently led Lovino over to the wall, away from the stalker who was writhing on the ground in agony. Antonio had a feeling he wouldn't be going anywhere until the police finally showed up. When they had gone far enough away Antonio stared sternly at Lovino.

"I know why you did it," he said, "but technically that was still assault. I could arrest you for that, you know." Lovino's sudden look of panic instantly made him feel guilty, which was weird since if anyone should feel guilty at the moment it was Lovino. But, then again, Antonio had strong feelings for the Italian so it wasn't like Antonio could actually do anything about it. Instead he sighed and rubbed the top of Lovino's head comfortingly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to arrest you for breaking your stalker's nose. Just, don't do anything like that again, okay? For me?" It gave Antonio a little thrill of excitement to add the last part on. Lovino frowned, looking away and crossing his arms. The scene made him look like a pouting child and made him absolutely adorable.

"But he deserved it," Antonio just barely heard him mumble. That made Antonio smile wryly, the first smile on his face in a while. It felt good to smile again. Antonio chuckled, taking his hand back from Lovino's head.

"That doesn't mean you have to stoop to his level, does it?" Antonio said in a teasing voice, though he was absolutely serious. He never wanted Lovino to sink that far, not if Antonio could help it. Lovino paused, thinking over Antonio's words. He looked up to Antonio and shook his head. Antonio smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Right? I have to get back to the creep now, though. I think I can hear my colleagues coming." Sure enough, a moment later and a few uniformed officers hurried down the hallway towards them. Johnny, who led the group, took a look at the stalker on the floor, moaning with a broken nose, and raised an eyebrow at Antonio. Antonio sighed. It looked like he would have to give a full report and explain how an off-duty officer caught the stalker at about three-thirty in the morning along with how the suspect somehow received a bloody nose.

"Hey, Johnny. See, I was at home when I heard a strange noise…"

* * *

><p>After getting the stalker printed and properly arrested (his name was Frankie McKellen, a thirty-eight year old salary man who first came into contact with Lovino when he was escorting his young nephew to a birthday party held at the Roman Estate), Antonio finally could leave the station. Technically, Antonio could have been there to help interrogate the bastard since it was his case and he was the arresting officer. But Antonio didn't want to do that. Oh, sure, he definitely wanted to be there and maybe play the 'bad' cop towards him but Antonio was also tired, and not just physically.<p>

The case was over.

Antonio should have felt happy. If things were still the way they used to be, he would have happily moved on to the next case that fell in his lap. But things weren't still the same. He had met Lovino, and now he wasn't ready to let him go. But the case was over, so now Antonio was done. He didn't have to see him again…

…there was no good reason to continue seeing Lovino again.

So, yeah. Antonio didn't want to be around anymore reminders of the one who managed to steal his heart. Antonio wasn't even ashamed to admit it anymore, not since he actually confronted McKellen. When Antonio heard the things that that creep was saying to Lovino… Antonio shivered, something that had nothing to do with the cool night air.

As much as Antonio wanted to stay with Lovino, he knew that that wasn't going to happen. It was just some one-sided thing that he was feeling right now. It would be selfish to try and keep Lovino close now that there was no reason to. Antonio was a cop, sworn to protect. There was nothing to protect Lovino from now. There was no reason to stay around anymore.

Just as Antonio was wondering when the best time to start looking for a new apartment was he came across Lovino who looked like he had been waiting for Antonio to get out of the station. Antonio tried not to show how excited he was to see Lovino again. Lovino was probably waiting to hear how things were going with his case. Antonio couldn't get his hopes up.

"Hi, Lovino," Antonio said as he started walking in time with the Italian. They were headed towards the building where their apartments were, so Antonio didn't think much of it. "If you're wondering how the case is going, it's pretty open and shut at this point. I don't even think you really need to testify at the hearing…"

"Who cares about that?" Lovino interrupted, looking at Antonio sharply. Antonio blinked, confused. Surely Lovino cared? After all, this was what the entire case had been about, right? "You…how did you explain his broken nose?" Antonio smiled wryly at the memory.

"Well, in all the confusion of apprehending that dangerous man, I'm not quite sure," he said with a smile. "It could have happened sometime while we were fighting—I'm afraid I don't quite remember that well, especially since he had been pointing a knife at me." Lovino looked relieved at this explanation. They continued to walk in silence that was steadily growing more and more awkward to Antonio. He tried to savor the moment, since he knew that after this it would be a miracle if he could ever see Lovino again. He was lucky to meet Lovino in the first place, Antonio decided. He would savor the time that he had left with him.

When they entered the elevator that would take them to their floor Lovino turned to Antonio, a strange determined look on his face. Antonio blinked though the tiredness that was starting to settle on him. It had to have been almost five in the morning by this time, after all. "Is something wrong?" Lovino regarded Antonio as he nodded his head slowly.

"While you were with the police, I talked to my brother," he said. "Apparently he and his boyfriend are coming back soon. They'll want their apartment back."

"Oh?" Antonio didn't really get what Lovino was trying to say to him. _Was_ Lovino trying to say something to him? It felt like there was a double meaning to his words, but Antonio was just too tired by this point to even try and figure out what it was. "What are you going to do?" When are you going to leave me? he wanted to ask.

Lovino shrugged, leaning against the elevator wall calmly. "Well, personally I don't really want to stay there with them when they get back. The two of them are always touchy-feely, and I _really_ don't need to see my brother that way." Antonio remembered the camera that he found in the bedroom and shuddered in agreement.

"But then, where are you going to stay? Do you already have a place in mind?" Not so Antonio could follow him there or anything; that would just make him another stalker. No, Antonio was curious because…he was a cop. Yeah, that was it. And as a friend.

Lovino smirked and started walking slowly towards Antonio, making the older Spanish man back up against the wall. "Well, I was hoping you would invite me in. Of course, we'd have to find a place that's _not_ in the same building as my brother, but I think we'll manage. If you're not too tired of moving, that is."

Okay, Antonio knew he was too tired now. He couldn't have heard…what he thought he just heard, could he? It didn't seem possible… But Lovino was looking at him expectantly and the doors to the elevator were opening and Antonio wasn't sure about anything at that point. So instead, he grabbed Lovino's hand and escorted him out of the elevator and into the hallway. They were halfway to their respective apartments when Antonio turned around to face Lovino.

"I want you to tell it to me straight," he said very seriously. "I'm really tired right now so I'm not sure if I heard correctly. I'm also kind of stupid when it comes to these things, at least according to my friend Francis. So, tell me—are you asking to move in with me? As a couple?" Lovino stood on tip-toe and kissed Antonio lightly on the lips.

"What do you think?" he asked with a smirk. Antonio smiled weakly, and a little too happily, and led the two to his apartment.

* * *

><p>The two indeed moved out of the apartment building where Feliciano and Yong Soo were living and instead found a nicer, rent-controlled one in a different, quieter part of town. By the time Feliciano and Yong Soo came back from Yong Soo's tour, the two were officially dating.<p>

Lovino's stalker, Frankie McKellen, was brought up on charges and taken to court on the numerous stalking charges that were filed against him but was later cleared by reason of mental insanity or defect. He spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital where he was not allowed to have any sort of item relating to Lovino at all. A few times during his stay there he was caught with either a photograph of Lovino or some other personal object, but all were taken away from his possession. The clinic was never quite sure how he came to own these objects.

Lovino and Antonio were married a year or so after meeting in a quiet ceremony that only a few trusted friends and family members knew about and fewer still were invited. Their marriage wasn't always a happy one, since Antonio worried constantly over Lovino's welfare and Lovino worried about Antonio's safety while on the force, but all in all they were rather content. The only troubling aspect that came to them was when Antonio was seriously wounded in a shoot-out at a bank and had to spend about a month in the hospital. While everyone could understand that this was bad enough, Lovino grew suspicious that one of the nurses was trying to have an affair with his oblivious husband. Luckily for both Antonio and Lovino, the Spaniard never even noticed the nurse's flirting.

Johnny and Angela did indeed start dating for a while but the two broke it off soon after. Angela went on to marry a lawyer and spent the rest of her years in bliss. Johnny spent the rest of his wondering what went wrong and eventually grew into a depression that manifested itself by heavy drinking. After a few years in forced rehab, Johnny eventually overcame his drinking addiction but he was never able to fully get over his long-time crush on Angela.

Tino and Lukas continued fighting over who Berwald actually liked, but in the end this came for naught when one day they caught Berwald greeting a Chinese man named Yao with a hug and a kiss after the end of his morning shift. The two were in deep shock but agreed that their feud with each other was pointless. They were able to patch things up again, and the rest of the Police Department couldn't be happier.

Feliciano and Yong Soo ended up getting married shortly after Lovino and Antonio did. Feliciano gave over his half of the family business to his brother so that he could devote the rest of his time to designing the new fashions that Yong Soo would wear as a celebrity. The two were the source of many major scandals in the future, but they were able to overcome them and still stick together. Whenever anyone asked why, they would respond the same way—"He just makes me happy, you know?"

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty; Next Up!—Don't you just hate it when the popular kids are all over you?<em>


	21. Life 21 Lovino and the Bad Friends

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 21; Lovino and the Bad Friends  
><em>_Summary__: Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Teen!Popular!Bad Friends!Antonio x Teen!Lovino; Lovino is the new kid in school. What can he do, though, when the Super Ultra Mega Popular Bad Touch take a liking to him?  
><em>_Rating__: T for Language, and maybe a few themes. I'm looking at you, Bad Touch.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, some characters acting rather inappropriately, my bad writing skills, also I think this is my first time writing Arthur as actually having some kind of dialogue. Ludwig too, now that I think about it. I hope I don't disappoint anyone! ^_^;  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Antonio, Francis, Gilbert, Feliciano, Arthur, Seysel (Seychelles), and mentions of Tino, along with a few OC's.  
><em>_Pairings__: Lovino/Antonio, and maybe Ludwig/Feliciano. Maybe.  
><em>_Word Count__: 9,931.  
><em>_Notes__: So, I use quite a lot of different names for Gilbert, Francis and Antonio in here—specifically, Bad Friends, Bad Touch and the Evil Trio (you'll see). I hope this doesn't confuse anyone._

_On another note, if there's any pairings or characters in general that you want to see, don't hesitate to ask. I'm up for anything! (I feel like I'm going to regret that later…) Also, if there are any questions in general that you have about this story as a whole or about any of the specific lives, please ask! I'm going to be doing an FAQ or something similar, so if anyone has anything to ask now's the time to do so!_

* * *

><p>Lovino hated being the new kid at school. He and his brother were always singled out by everyone else, and nobody really understood Lovino that well so whenever he would start cursing people out they would immediately flock over to Feliciano. He was the 'good twin,' after all. It never failed; whenever Lovino would start acting up and get in trouble somebody would ask 'if you and Feliciano are twins, why aren't you more alike? Why can't you be more like Feliciano?' Lovino hated them all, every single last person that made his brother out to be the saint while he, Lovino, was the devil incarnate. Nobody liked him at school, and the only one he really talked to was his brother.<p>

Well…that wasn't exactly true. He talked to a lot of people at school. Usually whenever he was cursing them out. But there were a few people other than his brother that seemed to …_like_…Lovino.

They called themselves the Bad Friends Trio, with either an emphasis on 'bad' or 'friend' depending on the situation. The rest of the school populace called them Bad Touch after the song that seemed to be their theme song in middle school, apparently, and everyone adored every move that the three made. Lovino called them fucking perverts and couldn't seem to get away from them. Ever since that one time when Lovino was staring up at one of the bulletin boards in the school hallway when they met, the three never seemed to leave him alone.

The ringleader's name was Gilbert Beilschmidt. He was German, but insisted on being called Prussian. Lovino had once asked why he insisted on that since Prussia didn't exist anymore. Gilbert had stared at him for a few moments before smiling and patting him rather hard on the shoulder.

"See, this is why I keep you around," Gilbert had chuckled. "You make me laugh." Lovino had the feeling that he had almost stepped on a landmine. He decided that whatever the reason, he wouldn't bring up Gilbert's heritage again—if he was anyone other than himself (or maybe Feliciano) then Lovino probably wouldn't have gotten off so easily. All the same, his shoulder still hurt the next day.

The next person in the Evil Trio (as Lovino also liked to call them, but only in his head where he was sure no one was listening) was Francis Bonnefoy. Francis was the touchy-feely one in the trio, and he proved it every time he saw Lovino regardless of circumstance. Lovino couldn't even count the number of times that Francis' wandering hands had touched him in uncomfortable places in public, but he received no sympathy from anyone watching—especially the girls. They would just look at Lovino with looks of pure envy on their faces and then turn away snootily, as if offended by the very thought that Francis' touching could be inappropriate or unwanted in any way. Lovino felt like _they_ should try it sometime, except they would probably actually like it.

"You always make the cutest sounds whenever we're together," Francis purred in Lovino's ear once. "Why would I want to share that with someone else?" Lovino still shuddered whenever he thought of the French pervert. He would never say that he was scared of anyone, of course, since Lovino was a big, tough, manly Italian man, but if there was ever anyone to be afraid of it would be Francis. Gilbert and Antonio laughed whenever Lovino brought this up, for some reason.

Antonio was the third member of the Evil Trio (what? It had a ring to it) and the one that Lovino somehow usually ended up spending the most time with. Antonio was Spanish and rather dense. But he was also the only one out of the trio that Lovino actually got along with rather well. Of course, Lovino wouldn't want to go out of his way to spend time with the Spaniard—even if he _did_ have the most beautiful (and sexy) accent that Lovino had ever heard—but if Lovino was wanting to waste time with anyone he could definitely find someone worse to spend it with. While all three members of the Evil Trio seemed to really, really like Lovino for some inexplicable reason, Antonio was definitely the friendliest one with Lovino. He always seemed happy to see Lovino and seemed to go out of his way to say hello to him every day.

"You're so cute, Lovi~!" Antonio said with a smile. "How could I not want to see you every day? Hey, you're happy to see me, too, right? Right Lovi? Lovi? Why aren't you saying anything? Lovi?"

The one consolation that Lovino had about the Evil Trio's apparent fascination with him was that not everyone in school knew about it. Hell, not everyone in school even knew about _Lovino_. If they did, it was usually just as 'Feliciano's brother' or 'that one really angry kid'. And Lovino was fine with that. He didn't want the whole school to know about his relationship with the 'Bad Friends'; it would just make everything worse for him. He was already disliked enough as it was, he didn't need the extra stigma attached to him about being the Bad Touch's favorite (something they very often repeated to him was the absolute truth—along with his brother. Nobody could dislike Feliciano).

* * *

><p>"Ve~ Lovi, can you see anything yet?" Feliciano pouted, jumping on the balls of his feet in anticipation. They, along with the rest of their class, were gathered around the bulletin board in the hallway that was across from where their actual classroom was. Grades for the midterm had been posted up, but with everyone and their cousin standing in the way nobody could really see anything until those in the front moved out of the way. A few in the back were tall enough and had good enough eyesight that they could see their scores just fine. Groups of students were moving out of the crowd in twos and threes, some looking very pleased with themselves while others lamented their grades and worried about what their parents would do when they found out. Even with some of the students leaving, however, there was still a pretty sizable crowd.<p>

Lovino stood next to his brother, trying to crane his neck for a better view. He scowled when a large, jock-type student moved in front of him blocking the board entirely. And he had just glimpsed his brother's name, too, dammit! "No, some lard-ass is blocking the fucking board," he griped loud enough for the jock in front of him to hear as well. The jock turned his head and glared at Lovino. By now, though, Lovino was used to these kinds of glares. Back at their old school Lovino would have run away screaming at the sight, but now he was just immune. Everyone seemed to glare at him here, so Lovino only glared back. It's not like they ever did anything to him anymore, either, so what did he care if he pissed people off just as easily as breathing?

Feliciano gulped audibly and hid behind Lovino at the sight of the Jock's glare. Lovino sighed. While he may have become immune to the glares it didn't mean that his twin was. Feliciano didn't run away anymore, either, but he still got really nervous and tended to hide. If pushed, he would eventually run off to his new BFF Ludwig who was definitely larger (muscle-wise, at least) than most of the people in school. How like Feliciano to befriend the one person in school that could protect him from all the others, Lovino thought.

Speaking of Ludwig, the German student was somewhere in the crowd dutifully marking down his own grade and the grades of his friends to bring back to everyone. Lovino and Feliciano easily could have just waited another few minutes to find out from Ludwig what grade they had, but Lovino didn't like Ludwig so he didn't want to rely on him and Feliciano was too eager to wait. Feliciano whimpered slightly behind Lovino's back and murmured Ludwig's name almost in a mantra to try and summon the German boy to come and protect him. That only made Lovino scowl more. Why did his stupid little brother have to depend on _Ludwig_, when he had his older brother standing literally _right in front of him_? What was so special about Ludwig, other than the mountain of muscles? Muscles didn't mean anything! They were big, heavy and bulky and really gross-looking, too. All they meant was that Ludwig was some muscle-brained potato idiot who was all brawn and no brains. Lovino was just waiting for Ludwig to come over with the lowest score of the entire class, and then he could rub it in his little brother's face that there was nothing that special about Ludwig.

Why couldn't Lovino's little brother depend on him more, dammit?

Lovino ignored the Jock and continued trying to look at the board. He wanted to know what his fucking grade was already, dammit, and he didn't want to have to wait for fucking Ludwig to get back. The Jock finally moved forward, opening up a space that Lovino and Feliciano quickly moved into before anyone else could. They were closer to the board now, and Lovino could just see the corner of his brother's name and grade. Lovino's heart sank. He could just make out part of his brother's grade, and it started with a '9'. Why was his brother always the smart one? There was no possible way that Lovino had made a higher grade now. And he had actually studied for the midterm this time, too…

"Can you see anything yet, Lovi?" Feliciano asked innocently, squinting at the board. How was Lovino supposed to answer to that? That of course, for the nth time in a row he had actually made a higher grade than his _older_ brother? The only good thing that could come out of this would be that with Ludwig's exponentially low grade Lovino could finally prove that Feliciano was too good for the fucking potato bastard.

"Can't see a damn thing," he answered finally. It would be better if it came from Ludwig's own mouth that he was much dumber than both of the Italians. It would also give Lovino a sense of sick satisfaction to hear it, too.

Overhead and through the dull roar of noise from the class group that was blocking the hallway, the warning bell rang out signaling that everyone only had five minutes to get to class. At Lovino and Feliciano's old school, the warning bell meant that they only had one minute, but because their new school was so fucking huge they gave everyone five minutes. After all, some people had to go clear across campus and some couldn't even make it in five minutes. Feliciano's face grew pale and he started tugging on his brother's shirt sleeve.

"Ve, Lovi," he whined. "We need to go now or we'll be late… Ve, but what about Ludwig? He'll be late too, and you know how much he hates that." Lovino did know, and it was one of the few things that he didn't tease the German boy over. Ludwig could get scary if he thought that they weren't on schedule, something that was followed by much shouting and yelling along with a very red-faced German. Ever since meeting and becoming friends with Feliciano and reluctant acquaintances with Lovino, Ludwig had eased up slightly about his 'I hate being late' rule, but Lovino would still rather not push him. Lovino cast another, resigned, glance at the board. Because of his schedule, he wouldn't get another chance that day to visit the board and find out what they had made. He supposed that he could have waited another couple of minutes since everyone was clearing out quickly now but he would still end up being late for class. Already he was pushing it; by now, he should have already had his books and supplies for his next class and would almost be at the door—and that was if he had left earlier than now, before the five-minute bell rang. He and his brother would have to jog at this rate.

Lovino sighed in resignation. Guess he would have to wait for tomorrow then; it's not like he could really trust Ludwig to be able to tell them their grades.

Lovino was just turning around with his brother to head down the halls when he heard a sudden hush descend over the crowd followed by murmurs. Lovino paused with Feliciano and stared around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ve, is it just me, brother, or is everyone staring at you?" Lovino looked around the crowd uneasily. Sure enough, everyone was staring straight at him—or at least, right behind him. Before he could think anymore about what that meant he was grabbed from the sides and behind and pulled into a very awkward hug. Lovino's limbs were flailing around but because of the tight hold on him they couldn't really do much to help his situation. It was then that he heard the laughter and cooing. With a feeling of dread, Lovino knew what had happened.

Bad Touch (yes, Francis, he could feel your hand on his ass thankyouverymuch) had found him. Lovino squirmed in their grasp, trying his hardest to get away. Everyone was staring, dammit! This was exactly what he was hoping to avoid! Francis was hugging him from his right side while Antonio was on his left. Gilbert was directly behind him with his arms around Lovino's waist. Each had a tight grip, no doubt knowing that if they let up even a little Lovino would get away.

And, well, they wouldn't want that, now would they?

Lovino himself was still struggling as much as he could in their tight grasp, cursing up a storm. Several people in the hallway were covering their friend's ears and their own when they heard what Lovino was saying. Most were just staring in disbelief at the sight that was in front of them. Oh, yes, this was exactly what Lovino had been hoping to avoid.

"Ve, hi big brother Antonio! Big brother Francis! Gilbert!" Feliciano chirped cheerily off to the side, all thoughts of having to get to class soon out of mind. "What are you three doing here?"

"Dammit, don't you ignore me you fucking mother-!"

"Well, we were trying to get around the big crowd in the hallway," Antonio said easily over Lovino's protests, "when we saw you and your cute brother. We just had to say hi, right?" He squeezed a little harder and nuzzled Lovino's cheek. Lovino froze, which only seemed to encourage the three for some reason.

"Plus, your brother was looking so…_alone_," Francis purred, licking Lovino's neck. Lovino wasn't sure, but he might have whimpered. Meanwhile, Francis' hands were moving again and to places that Lovino was sure they weren't really supposed to go. Behind him, Gilbert chuckled and started rubbing his face against the top of Lovino's head, petting his hair. Lovino was sure that he was just some kind of pet to the three of them, one that made them only too entertained each and every time they saw each other.

"Hey, where's my brother?" Gilbert said suddenly, looking around at the crowd that was openly staring at them now. "I thought the two of you were glued to the hip or something."

Feliciano looked down, a bit sad. "Ve…we lost him in the crowd. I-I don't know where he is," Feliciano sniffed, looking like was about to cry. "Wh-what if he's gone forever? A-and we can't ever find him again?" Lovino rolled his eyes. His brother was crying because Ludwig had decided to leave off without them? What did he think was happening to his brother not three feet away? Lovino was being molested right in front of everybody! If anyone should be crying, it should be Lovino. Unfortunately, he was far too used to the trio's 'greeting' by now.

"Oh, come here Feli!" Gilbert exclaimed, throwing open one of his arms. "Come and join the Hug of Love, and we can cry about Ludwig together." Feliciano looked like he was about to launch himself into the Prussian's arms when a loud voice shook the hallway.

"Absolutely not!" Ludwig pushed his way through the thick crowd, somehow managing to get to the front. He was huffing from the effort of having to physically move several people out of his way and his hair was starting to come loose from his usual hairstyle. He glared at his brother and kept a heavy hand on Feliciano's shoulder to make sure that he didn't end up going anywhere and getting lost. "Brother, we have to get to class soon and we're _already_ going to be _late_. Stop trying to distract Feliciano. Also, Feliciano, I didn't leave you here by yourself. You know I wouldn't do that."

"Ve~ I'm so happy~!" Feliciano launched himself at Ludwig instead, practically draping himself off the sturdy German teen. Ludwig's face, which was already red from heavy breathing earlier, turned slightly darker.

Lovino scowled at the happy sight in front of him. He cleared his throat as much as he could and ignored the pleased sound that Francis made from the vibrations. "Oi, aren't you going to do something about this?" Ludwig managed to get Feliciano off of himself and sighed.

"Brother, you and your friends need to get off of Lovino. You're making him uncomfortable and it's against the school rules. Francis, you of all people should know this."

Francis pouted. "But, he's so adorable, how could I help myself?" Lovino gave a squeak when one of Francis' hands happened to squeeze something, which only made Antonio nuzzle him even more and start cooing. Ludwig glared.

"Get off of him or we're all going to be-" a sharp ringing overhead interrupted Ludwig "-late. We are now officially late for class. What do you have to say for yourself, brother?" Lovino was suddenly glad that he was only really, really mean to Ludwig in his head—he never wanted that glare to be directed at him. Sighing reluctantly, Gilbert finally let go of Lovino which gave the Italian enough leverage to break away from the other two. He ran and hid behind Ludwig, glaring out at the trio and anyone else that was watching. There were a few murmurs in the crowd, but Ludwig managed to get them to be quiet when he snapped at everyone to get to class already.

Feliciano gasped and grabbed Lovino and Ludwig's hands, dragging them down the hallway with one last farewell to the Bad Friends who waved after them in amusement.

* * *

><p>"God fucking dammit…" Lovino muttered to himself later. Just as Ludwig had predicted, they were almost ten minutes late for class because people kept stopping them in the hall, and they had to go to their lockers to get their new books and supplies for class. Somehow Ludwig had managed to convince the teacher that she shouldn't count them late because of various circumstances, but they still had the eyes of everyone else in class on them. Plus, later people just kept coming up to Lovino and demanding (yes, demanding) to know how he knew the Bad Touch. It was the exact situation that Lovino had been hoping to avoid, but it didn't look like that would be possible any more. The whole school must have heard about the Bad Friends' 'greeting' to Lovino by now. Fucking perverts…it was their whole damn fault that something like this happened! Why couldn't he get them to leave him alone? Did Lovino do something in some past life to deserve this kind of punishment? It was either that, or the fact that he was such an asshole all the time—karma and all that.<p>

Oh, and it turned out that Ludwig was smarter than he looked. He had managed to write down their individual scores before the Incident and had shown them to Feliciano and Lovino later. Not only did he _not_ get the lowest score out of the entire class, he was ranked third. _Fucking. Third._ And what was Lovino's score? A solid B minus. Even after hours upon hours of studying and staying cooped up in his room for hours so he wouldn't get distracted by anything, Lovino still only just barely scraped by with a B. Life so wasn't fair sometimes.

By now he was in gym class with his brother, Ludwig and a few others that Lovino recognized. They were practicing the 100 meter run and so far only Ludwig had managed to make a decent, respectable time. Lovino hadn't even bothered to line up for running and was instead sitting against the fence that surrounded the field. Feliciano was up next and Ludwig was busy trying to drill in a few last pointers on how to run better before Feliciano actually started. Lovino snorted. Like his brother actually needed pointers—he was just too lazy to even try hard. Lovino amused himself with watching Ludwig get more and more frustrated when it appeared that Feliciano was still standing around and not even stretching before he lined up with the others at the starting line.

"Well, this isn't something you see every day," a voice said from behind the fence. Lovino jolted, not expecting someone to be there. "Lovino and his brother in running shorts. Now _this_ is a sight I could get used to." Lovino could hear the smirk in the voice. He turned to look at the speaker and his friends with a raised eyebrow.

"You're brother's over there in shorts too, you know," he pointed out to Gilbert. He, Francis and Antonio were leaning casually against the fence, smiling down at Lovino. He was very glad that there was a fence in between them—they couldn't attack him from behind this way. "Also, aren't you three bastards supposed to be in class or something?" Francis scoffed and waved Lovino's statement away.

"It's nothing for the Student Council Vice President to be able to, ah, convince the teachers that he and two others need to spend time in the library for…studying." Lovino stared at him, deadpan.

"One, I don't think you can get away with impersonating the Vice, you know. You're bound to get caught. And two, I _really_ don't think _anyone_ in their right mind would think that the three of you would be 'studying'." Francis blinked in confusion while Gilbert and Antonio full out laughed.

"You don't understand, Lovi," Antonio giggled as he wiped a tear away from his eye. "Francis isn't impersonating anyone—he really _is_ the Student Council Vice President."

"Yeah, and he can convince anyone anything because of it," Gilbert chuckled as they watched Feliciano run weakly down the track. Lovino was sure that even power-walkers could pass him by. Ludwig was yelling on the sidelines for him to hurry up, and Feliciano sped to a reluctant slow jog. Lovino rolled his eyes at the sight, but he was still surprised by what he heard.

"Who on earth would elect _you_ for Vice President?" he asked in wonder as he looked at the three behind him. Francis frowned and glared at Gilbert who held his hands up in a surrendering, pacifying gesture.

"Well, you see Lovi," Antonio explained. "Francis actually ran for President; it's the school's tradition that whoever comes in second gets Vice President. Quite a few people voted for him, including me."

"But _not_, I should remind you, _Gilbert_," Francis accused angrily. Lovino raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Who got first then?" Lovino asked, curious despite himself. He didn't even feel bad that he didn't know who his own Student Council President was. He and Feliciano had only been going to the school for a little over a month now, and it wasn't like there had really been any opportunity to find out. Plus, Lovino just didn't really care in general. He hated the school, and the school hated him. He didn't see any reason why he should bother to learn who it was that was running the place that he despised so much.

Francis and Antonio glared as they snarled out the name "Arthur Kirkland." Even Lovino had heard about him, though. Mostly it was because both Francis and Antonio hated him, so they would bad mouth the teen as much as they could. Lovino never thought that he might be the President. Then again, he hadn't even known that Francis was the Vice President.

"So why didn't you vote for your friend?" Lovino asked. Gilbert chuckled awkwardly and looked back to where Ludwig was lecturing Feliciano again. Apparently because of how badly he had done, Feliciano would have to run the track length again. Feliciano pouted, clearly not wanting to run again. He was even lazier than Lovino.

"Well, you see kid, the Awesome Me's actually somewhat friends with Arthur…"

"And by that, you mean that you like to go out drinking with him."

"You would too if you would stop fighting with him so much! He's a fun guy to drink with, especially when Arthur gets drunk—then he's fucking hilarious!"

"So you say," Francis said as he looked away. "_You_ don't have to live next to him."

Antonio rolled his eyes, leaning in a little closer to Lovino. "Apparently, Arthur took Gilbert out drinking when he found out that Francis was going to be running against him for President. Then when Gilbert was drunk, he easily got him to say that he would vote for Arthur instead of Francis."

"Hey! I made an Awesome Promise™! Once you make an Awesome Promise™, you can't go back on it," Gilbert explained. "And it's not like it would have made that big of a difference anyway. Arthur won with a third more votes than you did, anyway." Lovino couldn't believe that there was a scheming drunk as his school's President with a pervert for Vice. And yet, somehow he could…

Francis narrowed his eyes at his friend. He was about to say something back when he was interrupted by a rather large and shrill scream. The three of them looked over curiously as Lovino watched in boredom as his brother ran past screaming something about how there was a dog about to attack him. Feliciano easily caught up to the other runners on the track and outpaced them, not even bothering to stop until he reached the other side of the field. Lovino looked over curiously to the start of the track to see if there really was a dog or not. What Lovino found was a small, white, fluffy puppy that was rolling around on the ground next to that one Finnish student who was staring in Feliciano's direction in shock, as was everyone else on the field. Lovino snorted, breaking the quiet that had descended on the field at Feliciano's sudden burst of speed. The runners had even stopped and were staring in disbelief.

He stood up, brushing off the dust from where he was sitting and looked over at his cowering brother. "Oi, idiot!" he called over. "It was just a puppy, it's not going to attack you." Feliciano looked back with tears in his eyes (or so Lovino assumed. He couldn't really see his brother's eyes from where he was).

"R-really? You're not lying to me?"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Really." Feliciano cheered and started skipping back to the crowd at the front of the starting line where everyone was gathered to wait and start their own turns at running. Lovino shook his head, too used to his brother's ditziness. The crowd started muttering to each other and Lovino could see that the coach who was in charge of gym class was looking at his stop watch in amazement.

"Wimp," Lovino said as he vaguely gestured to where Feliciano was cooing over the puppy. "Getting scared over a fucking puppy. Just how pathetic can you get?" He turned to look at the Evil Trio that had been strangely quiet for a while. He was surprised to see looks of surprise on their faces as they stared dazedly in between Feliciano and Lovino. "What?"

"Holy-"

"-Fucking-"

"-Shit, man!" Gilbert finished, his eyes comically wide. "How long has he been able to do that?"

Lovino was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under their piercing stares. He shifted from foot to foot as he shrugged. "I don't know—always, I guess?"

"A-always?" Francis choked. Lovino wasn't sure what else to say, so he was slightly glad when Feliciano himself latched onto his arm and started dragging him over to the rest of the class.

"Ve, come on brother!" He said happily. "Coach wants you to run now!" Lovino started struggling, though half-heartedly. The Evil Trio followed alongside them on the other side of the fence.

"I don't want to, though!" Lovino protested, feeling like a bratty child. "I hate gym…"

"Ve, so do I, but coach said to," Feliciano soothed. "He and Ludwig were really surprised by my running apparently. They were really excited, though Ludwig looked a little mad. I hope he's not angry with me…"

"What do I care if that potato bastard's angry with you or not?" Lovino asked. "That's still no reason for me to run."

"But, coach was really, really excited!" Feliciano said emphatically. "He asked me how fast I could run, and I said I didn't know, but that you're a lot faster than I am-"

"What?" Gilbert, Francis and Antonio exclaimed at once, staring at Lovino in shock. The rest of the class was muttering again as they looked at Lovino and his brother strangely. Lovino was feeling really self-conscious again, and he didn't like the way they were looking at him or his brother—like they were freaks. In an effort to ignore them, he turned on his brother instead.

"I do not run away a lot!"

"I never said that," Feliciano said. "But you are a lot faster than me."

"And that must eat you up inside," Lovino muttered. Feliciano ignored him and kept talking.

"So anyway, when I said that coach got really excited and said that you had to run now! I think I also heard him talking about the track team for some reason; I wasn't really sure what that part was about. Good luck, Lovi!" Feliciano chirped as he shoved Lovino to the starting place on the track field. Lovino pouted and scowled at everyone who was gathered around excitedly to watch him make a fool of himself. He sighed in defeat. There was no way he was going to get out of this one, was there?

Lovino bent down into the starting position, ignoring the noises of appreciation that Gilbert, Francis and Antonio were making and was just about to start running when Ludwig stopped him.

"Wait a moment," he said, stepping out onto the track field in front of Lovino. Lovino glared up hatefully at him. What did he want now? Why couldn't he just let Lovino get this torture over with already? "Lovino hasn't warmed up yet; it would be dangerous to make him run like this." There were a few murmurs of agreement in the crowd. Lovino stood up again, keeping his glare trained on Lovino.

"So? Feliciano wasn't warmed up either and he was still allowed to run," he pointed out as Ludwig frowned. For some reason that made a few of the others, including the coach, even more excited. Ludwig still tried to press his point but Lovino was through with having to deal with him for the day. "Listen, I can either run now, or I can run never. Personally, I like the second option." Ludwig sighed heavily, but moved out of the way. Shame—Lovino had been hoping that he wouldn't have to run after all.

Despite the situation, Lovino couldn't help but feel a little smug. Feliciano had been right about one thing—Lovino really was faster than his little brother. It felt good to be able to say that he was better at something than Feliciano for once. It felt even better to be able to show off in person, especially in front of those stupid people who kept saying that Feliciano was better than he was. Without waiting to be told to start, Lovino set off down the track at a fairly decent pace. He wasn't going full out though—the stupid potato bastard had been right about stretching beforehand. But then again, Lovino didn't need to go as fast as he could; he only had to go faster than Feliciano.

After crossing the finish line, Lovino turned back with a smirk on his face. He was expecting more dropped jaws and instead was surprised to see quite a few people cheering him on, including Bad Friends and his brother.

"Ve, way to go, Lovi~!" Feliciano cheered, jumping up and down like a little kid. Lovino flushed, walking back slowly to the group. He hadn't been expecting any of that. Was it really that big a deal that he could run so fast? There had to be a catch, Lovino was sure of it. Things like the entire class cheering him on just didn't happen to people like Lovino. They were probably hopping on the bandwagon or something, and were just mildly impressed. As soon as the shock factor wore off, he was sure that they would instantly forget that they had ever cheered him on. That was always the way it went. It didn't even matter that Lovino was faster than his brother—Feliciano would be the only one that they remembered as fast. Lovino would just be a distant memory soon enough.

Still, despite his thoroughly negative thoughts, Lovino couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself when, as he approached the class again, Feliciano and the Bad Friends were still cheering his name and saying other 'complements' about him.

(No, Francis and Antonio, saying that Lovino had a nice ass in his gym shorts while running wasn't the greatest of complements.)

* * *

><p>A week or so after the track incident, Lovino was suddenly called in to see the Student Council President. He had been pulled away in the middle of a chemistry experiment, so Lovino wasn't too upset. But he was still a little wary about being called in by the Student Council. After hearing stories about its President and Vice President, Lovino wasn't sure how he felt about the Council as a whole. They were sure to be as weird as their leaders.<p>

Despite this, Lovino had to wonder—why was he being called in there? If it was about the track team, Lovino had already told the coach numerous times that while he was flattered to be offered a position straight onto the team as a regular he just wasn't interested enough in sports (especially at this school) to want to be a part of a team. Lovino and teams just didn't really mix, you see.

If it wasn't about joining the track team, then the only thing that Lovino could think of was that the Council was finally going to get onto him for cursing so much. Or someone could have finally sent in a complaint about Lovino in general; he definitely didn't make friends with anyone when he was yelling at his brother non-stop. But people just didn't understand that that was pretty much the only way to make Feliciano listen to what you say—did anyone get upset at Ludwig for yelling at Feliciano? No, they thought it was cute, but when Lovino did it he was kicking a puppy.

Either way, Lovino wasn't sure what to expect from the President. He had heard many things about Arthur Kirkland before, and all usually bad things from the Bad Friends/Evil Trio. Lovino had still never met the British teen himself, but apparently Feliciano had. Feliciano thought that he was kind of scary, and he warned Lovino very often not to eat any food that was ever touched by the President so Lovino wasn't sure what to believe. True, Feliciano was a coward and a gourmet so it would make sense if he had been exaggerating, but Lovino had also heard similar things from others. The thought of the super-scary President calling Lovino to the Council room made Lovino start to re-think his earlier bravado.

He wished Antonio was there.

If there was ever anyone that Lovino needed to protect him, he would choose Antonio. Not only was he bright, cheerful, happy, always glad to see Lovino and just in general a really nice person that somehow didn't get on Lovino's nerves too much, he was also something of a…well, a…a _friend_.

Not that Lovino would ever admit it out loud. The Great Lovino Vargas, needing a friend? Preposterous. But, never the less, that's what Antonio was slowly turning out to be. He was always the calmer (relatively speaking) of the Evil Trio, and he usually stopped bothering Lovino whenever he was clearly uncomfortable. The fact that he could also stand up to Arthur, or so the stories go, also made Lovino feel better in general.

Finally, he was in front of the Student Council Room. Hesitantly, Lovino knocked on the door. Shortly after, the door was opened by a pretty girl with dark skin and hair that was in two pigtails tied in red ribbon. She was very pretty and smiled at Lovino, making him feel calmer about the meeting. Girls always made him feel better.

"You must be Lovino," the girl said. "I'm Seysel, secretary to the Student Council President. Ol' Eyebrows has been waiting for you." She opened the door casually with a grand sweeping gesture, waiting for Lovino to enter the office. Lovino paused for a moment before heading inside. 'Ol' Eyebrows'? He had of course heard that the President's eyebrows were rather large from several people (usually those that didn't like him), but they couldn't be that bad, right?

Inside were several desks that were in the shape of a giant U, with two desks on each side of the row that led to the President's desk. The desks were covered with various papers, books, and other personal objects that Lovino supposed belonged to whoever used the desk. After looking around he was able to find Francis' desk as the one directly to the right of the President. It was covered with various roses of all different kinds and colors, so it was rather obvious. Lovino was surprised he hadn't smelled them as soon as he came in.

The only person who was at their desk, and the only other person in the office other than Seysel and Lovino, was the person sitting behind the President's desk. He had messy blond hair, was wearing the most perfectly starched school uniform that Lovino had ever seen, and had the largest eyebrows that had ever graced the planet. Lovino thought that maybe the others had been exaggerating; turned out, they weren't. Lovino stood frozen until Arthur cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, so good of you to come," Arthur said as a greeting. When he saw that Lovino was still standing near the door he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, come here. Despite what you've no doubt heard from others, I'm not going to bite." Lovino looked at Seysel for advice on what to do, but she only smiled and nudged him further into the room.

"I have some things I need to take care of, chief," Seysel said as a way of goodbye to Arthur as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Lovino gulped. Now he was alone in the room with the President. He wasn't going to take Arthur's word that the older boy wouldn't do anything—he had heard enough from Francis and Antonio, especially Antonio, that made him really wish that the other was there with him at the moment. Hell, even Francis would be somewhat welcome! When he saw Arthur's impatient look, Lovino hurried forward but stopped a few feet away from the desk.

Arthur leaned forward, resting his chin on his fingers where his elbows were propped up on the desk. Lovino got the feeling that the President was examining him, though what he was expecting to see Lovino didn't know. All he knew was that he was feeling very, very awkward at the moment. Eventually, though, Arthur seemed to find what he was expecting to see since he nodded to himself for a moment. He locked eyes with Lovino suddenly, making the Italian flinch.

"Do you know why you're here, Lovino?" Arthur asked, leaning back casually in his rather nice, comfortable-looking chair. Lovino noticed that no one else in the council apparently had a comfortable chair like that.

Lovino shrugged, trying to keep his 'tough guy' persona in place. "No, I was just told to come here because you fucking needed to see me or something, dammit. I was in the middle of class, too, you know…bastard." He said this last part in a whisper in case it offended the president. Whoever could be enemies with the Bad Friends and yet still be popular enough to beat out one of them and become Student Council President had to be something. Lovino didn't really want to find out what that something was.

"Charming vocabulary you have there," Arthur said dryly. "I see the rumors about you are true, to an extent." Lovino stiffened. He hated rumors. He had kind of known that there would be ones circulating about him, but he still hated it when it was confirmed to his face. He wasn't something to be labeled, dammit! "At any rate, I called you here because I want to talk with you." Instantly Lovino went from indignant and angry to wary and a little…_cautious_, not scared. Manly Italian Men don't get scared.

"Talk about what?" Lovino asked cautiously, a little embarrassed that his voice trembled slightly.

"Why, about Bad Touch, obviously." Lovino blinked, not sure what the President was getting at.

"Come again?"

Arthur sighed, sitting straight in his chair again. "Bad Touch. I know they've been hanging around and bothering you ever since you started school here. As President, it's my duty to make sure that all of the students in this school are comfortable in their school environment. We can't tolerate bullying here, or any other kind of harassment—I know those boys. I know well enough what it is that they like to do to others, and that nobody seems to want to have to hold them responsible for their actions." Lovino had to admit, that did sound an awful lot like the Evil Trio. He had told them repeatedly in the past that he didn't like it when they 'greeted' him or bugged him so much, but they never listened. If he wanted to, though, he could get that to stop. All he would have to do is tell Arthur about what it was exactly that they did to him every day, and he was sure that the President would see that something was done about the three of them.

But, despite everything that happened to him, Lovino couldn't really bring himself to tattle on the three goofballs. True, he hated it absolutely every time that they came up to him because he was inevitably publically humiliated. He was still getting people asking him about that one time in the hallway. But…they were never intentionally malicious to him otherwise. Whenever they started getting too friendly, if Lovino told them to back off they usually did. Whenever Lovino was starting to feel alone in the middle of the mass-populated school, they would somehow seek him out and make him feel like he wasn't all by himself. And Antonio…

"Well?" Arthur asked. Lovino jolted, not having been aware that Arthur had been speaking to him. "Do you have anything to say or not?"

"No," Lovino said in a surprisingly strong voice. "Yeah, they may be idiots that don't know that 'no' means 'no', and they also haven't fucking heard of the concept of 'personal space', but they're not all bad, you know dammit." Arthur rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"Oh, don't tell me," he drawled. "You're one of their fans."

"Like hell I am!" Lovino snapped. "I can't stand them! I wish they would leave me alone, forever!"

"So, you _do_ want me to do something?"

"Weren't you just listening to me? I said leave them alone."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite following you." Lovino sighed, knowing that it would take some explaining before he started to make sense. He wasn't even sure if he made any sense to himself, so he wasn't even sure how he would go about trying to convince the President.

"I'm saying," Lovino began, "that even though they bother the hell out of me, they still aren't really all that bad. I would love it for them to leave me alone, but I don't want that to happen because you used your fucking power to make it fucking happen. I want to deal with this on my own, dammit!"

Arthur stared at Lovino as he breathed in heavily after his little speech, not saying a thing. When it felt like Lovino's breath had finally turned normal again, Arthur spoke in a quiet tone of voice. "No wonder they like you so much." Now it was Lovino's turn to be confused again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters I think you provide something of a challenge to the three of them," Arthur explained. "Even though you huff and you puff and you insult the living daylights out of them, you still like them in your own way." Arthur raised his hand to cut off any protest that Lovino would have given. "Also, you genuinely dislike them. I don't think that's really happened to them all that often, besides myself, of course. You're like a novelty to them."

"Oh gee, thanks," Lovino replied sullenly. Arthur smirked slightly.

"I almost feel sorry for Antonio, being in love with you like this," he said. "Especially since you seem to hate him so much. But, I only _almost_ feel sorry for him."

Lovino felt like he was choking on air. Antonio…_loved_ him? That wasn't possible, Lovino wanted to protest. Anyone with eyes could see that! Except… well, anyone with eyes could see that maybe it _was_ possible. Lovino didn't really want to believe it but… _was_ it possible? No, surely; and yet…

"You didn't know?" Arthur asked lightly, taking in Lovino's expression. "For heaven's sake, why else did you think he was that friendly to you? Because he's a nice person? You should hear the way he talks about you, it's almost like you're married already-"

"SHUT UP!" Lovino shouted, drowning out Arthur's voice. Lovino's head was reeling. He felt like he was going to be sick. Dammit, how was he supposed to react to that? How was he even supposed to face him, now? It was too stuffy in there. What Lovino needed right now was some fresh air… that would help him clear his mind.

Arthur furrowed his brow in confusion and slight worry. "Lovino? Are you feeling okay?" No, he wasn't okay. But before he had a chance to speak up the door opened with a slam and Francis Bonnefoy himself came waltzing into the room with a determined look on his face. Seysel was right behind him, keeping up with his quick, long strides.

"Arthur…" Francis said in a warning tone of voice, his eyes narrowed. Arthur narrowed his own in response.

"Francis," he said simply. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Francis replied, wrapping an arm around Lovino's shoulders and pulling him to stand behind him and away from Arthur. "Shouldn't you know better as a Student Council President than to go around harassing the students? Especially if they're new and don't know what you're like yet?" Arthur leant back in his chair quickly with a hiss.

"I resent that!" he declared. "I'm not like _you_ and your two stupid friends! How did you even know about my meeting with Lovino, anyway?" Francis gestured to Seysel who was gathering up a few papers that had fallen off of her desk in the commotion.

"Dear Seysel was kind enough to inform me," he said coolly. Arthur groaned and turned on his secretary.

"Seysel," he said, "why did you have to tell _him_?" Seysel looked back at the President and smiled.

"Because you told me not to," she said simply. "If it makes you feel better, I'd tell you if Francis was secretly meeting with students that you had your eye on alone in a deserted room like this." Arthur smoothed down his uniform, looking a little chastised.

"Point taken," he admitted. He looked back at Lovino, who was busy watching the conversations that were taking place in an effort not to have to think so much about the problem that was weighing on his mind. "Well, if that's all Lovino I think you can go back to class now," he said. "But just remember, if there's anything you want to talk to me about, don't hesitate to ask."

"Oh, I'm sure if there's anything bothering him, he'll be sure to ask someone he trusts," Francis cut in, leading Lovino towards the door. "Someone like _me_."

"I wouldn't hold my breath, frog."

* * *

><p>After Lovino's brief, disastrous meeting with Arthur he kept to himself for the next couple of weeks. He was actually starting to worry quite a few people since he didn't talk to anyone unless spoken to first, and even then he would sometimes ignore the speaker or answer in only a few words. Even more than his silence, however, was the fact that he was now actively avoiding the Bad Friends. Lovino couldn't even bring himself to call them the 'Evil Trio' anymore. Needless to say, many were growing worried about his strange actions, which all seemed to lead back to his meeting with Arthur.<p>

One day when Bad Friends went to try and confront the President over what it was that he had said or done to Lovino, Feliciano tried to get his brother to open up to him. It took some cajoling, and a promise that Ludwig wouldn't be there when they talked privately in their dorm room so no one could over hear them, but Lovino eventually spilled all that he had heard from the President about how Antonio was supposedly in love with him. Feliciano's shout of 'I knew it!' didn't really help much.

After a deep, heart-to-heart talk between brothers, Feliciano found out that Lovino was starting to feel the same way about Antonio, but wasn't sure if what he was feeling was genuine—or if it was reciprocated. Feliciano called him and idiot and said that if anyone so much as looked at Antonio whenever Lovino was around, they would see that the Spaniard was head over heels for Lovino.

"Then how come I've never noticed?" Lovino protested.

"Because you're not really that great at observing your surroundings, brother," Feliciano said soothingly, rubbing his hand on Lovino's head in a comforting manner. Lovino hit him.

Later that night, there was a furious pounding on the door to their shared dorm room. Feliciano smiled knowingly as he answered, letting Antonio into the room. Feliciano left the room to give his brother and friend some privacy and went over to Ludwig's room so that he could bother him some more. That night, Antonio and Lovino admitted to each other about their feelings and all was well.

They started dating shortly after (as in, right after the furious make-out session) and couldn't have been happier. Gilbert and Francis still 'greeted' Lovino the same way as before whenever they saw him, but Antonio was always right there to hog most of Lovino for himself.

Francis tried to stage a coup d'état and usurp Arthur's position as President, but it didn't really work out that well since Seysel ended up squealing on him. He wasn't mad, though, or at least not at Seysel. He and Arthur could ever only agree on one thing and that was that while Seysel made for an annoying little sister figure, she was still _their_ little sister figure; no one was allowed to get angry at her. Maybe a little irritated or annoyed, but never mad or angry. In the end, Francis wasn't able to become President and Arthur made sure that all of the menial tasks were given to him as punishment for his almost-actions.

Gilbert continued to be a source of annoyance for everybody, but since he was Gilbert Beilschmidt no one ever did anything about it. And they were okay with that.

Ludwig and Feliciano never actually started dating, to everyone's surprise and sadness (well, Lovino was only surprised and a little miffed; was his stupid little brother not _good_ enough for Ludwig or something?). They remained good friends, and there were hints of an on-going affair but nobody could ever prove anything. Gilbert was sad at having missed out on a cute brother-in-law.

Lovino and Antonio eventually got married shortly after college, inheriting Lovino's grandfather's land property when Romulus finally died. Everyone was surprised when this happened, since they thought that, after living for so long and still managing to keep his youthful appearance, there wouldn't have been a way for him to die. He proved them wrong, and Feliciano and Lovino were sad. To cope, both became Olympic Athletes and competed in the Track-And-Field division, though on opposite teams. Lovino was usually the winner between the two of them, but Feliciano could still pull from behind and surprise everyone.

Despite all this, Lovino and Antonio were still able to achieve happiness together. That was all either of them ever wanted, anyway.

On a side note, being Student Council President just wasn't enough for Arthur, who had ambitious dreams. So, he became an actual President. His secretary was still Seysel, and everyone was surprised to find out that his Vice President was in fact Francis. Neither was willing to talk about it, but it was mostly assumed that Seysel had something to do with it.

Life was good.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-One; Up Next!—We're going to be rocking to the music at the Café!<em>


	22. Life 22 The Café of Love

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 22; The Café of Love  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Band!Bad Touch!Antonio x Fem!Café!Lovino; Antonio is a rising star in the music world. Lovina is a waitress. What do these two have in common? Just their love for each other. And tomatoes. But that kind of goes without saying…  
><em>_Rating__: T for language. I think that's it.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, my bad writing skills, Fem!England's name, kind of a lack of plot, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovina, Felicia, Ludwig, Francis, Gilbert, Romulus, Agatha (Fem!England), Madeline (Fem!Canada), Alfred, Natalia, Katyusha, Toris, OC's, mentions of Ivan, Feliks, Kiku, and Elizabeta.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovina, Ludwig/Felicia, one-sided Madeline/Gilbert, maybe one-sided Francis/Agatha and Francis/OC. Maybe.  
><em>_Word Count__: 8,777.  
><em>_Notes__: So, yeah. My name for Fem!England is Agatha. Not Alice, or Elizabeth. This is for a number of reasons. First and foremost is because Arthur is named after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a famous mystery writer (Sherlock Holmes, anyone?). Agatha follows the same line, named after Agatha Christie (also a British writer) who is well-known for Miss Marple and most notably Poirot. Second, Agatha just seems more like an English name to me than Alice does. True, it's a rather old-fashioned name but so is Arthur. Third, how great would it be to say 'Aggy' all the time like how everyone does for 'Iggy'? These are my reasons, and, like the grandmother in __Bewitched__, (I don't own) said (paraphrased)- 'You can call her what you like. I shall call her Tabatha (Agatha)'._

_On another note, this chapter was pretty hard to write. Mostly because this was one of the ideas that I had for a full-fledged fic, but I just couldn't figure out how to keep it to a manageable length. I think I finally succeeded in the end, but I'm not too sure about the middle. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!_

* * *

><p>The hit new band known as Bad Company hit the charts by storm and hasn't yet given up their status as number one band. Despite the fact that their music had the sound of being 'just another preppy boy band', their music has been very well received. Many attribute this to the fact that while in general they have a lot of peppy love songs under their belt, there are almost just as many deep, raw, and terrifyingly sad songs. According to a recent survey, many of the Bad Company's fans are drawn to the band because they write songs that they can relate to.<p>

Of course, the band member's looks also had something to do with their popularity. They were most popular with young girls in their teens to early twenties, but they could still find many other fans from other age and gender demographics. The members' names are Gilbert Beilschmidt on guitar, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo on bass, and Francis Bonnefoy on drums and other percussion instruments. All three took turns singing lead, and each provided back-up vocals when they weren't on lead.

Many wondered about their origins, considering that the three had been friends and known each other for as long as they cared to remember. What was it like growing up together? What made them decide to make a band together? What was their hometown like? What were their friends like? Did they have any siblings? Any girlfriends? These were the questions that were burning on almost everyone's minds. Soon, though, they would get their answers…

* * *

><p>"…<em>Soon, though, they would get their answers…"<em> The television that had been blaring through the café was clicked off in the middle of some trashy teen interview covering the hit new band Bad Company. A few derisive snorts and rolled eyes accompanied the broadcast. Everyone in the café, both those that worked there and the visitors, knew all about the lives of the band in question, and some knew more than they cared for.

"It's like they have nothing better to do with their time," Lovina said, adjusting her waitressing apron as she sashayed away from the television hanging on the wall and headed towards her sister and co-workers over at the counter in the center of the restaurant. Agatha shook her head in disgust, handing over Table #4's order.

"Those fools are the ones who aren't even trying to stop them," she answered. "You know they live for the attention. For all we know, _they're_ the ones spreading their own rumors around."

"I don't think they would do that, though," Toris said from behind the counter. He was technically on kitchen duty but Felicia and Natalia were already there so there wasn't much for him to do. It was a slow day, and it happened sometimes. Mostly Toris used this time to sneak glances towards his crush, Natalia, but it was still nice to chat and gossip with his other co-workers. He kind of wished he wasn't the only male working this shift, though; other than himself, Feliks and Kiku also worked at the café but they both had the day off. Alfred came by sometimes to hang out and help sometimes, but he didn't actually work there. Currently, he was at his actual job over at the vet's office, waiting for his sister to get off of work. Madeline nodded in agreement with the Lithuanian boy.

"I agree with Toris," she said as she wiped down one of the empty tables. "The boys aren't like that, even if they _do_ seem kind of full of themselves. You should know this, Agatha, you're Francis' sister."

"_Don't_ remind me," Agatha snapped, adjusting her glasses. "I refuse to even acknowledge such a brother."

"That's why he keeps flirting with you, you know," Felicia called from the kitchen. A moment later she was bringing out the next order, waiting for Agatha to carry it over to the waiting table. "You know he'd stop if you'd just call him 'brother' only once. He does it to annoy you." Agatha sniffed and looked away, not wanting to talk about her half-brother any longer than necessary. She handed over Table #4's order with a smile that was just for the out-of-towners and ignored her co-workers.

Toris leaned against the counter with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hey, does anyone know when they'll be back? I haven't heard anything, but I thought that you all might since you're closer to them than I am." He was of course referring to the fact that Lovina was dating Antonio, Felicia was dating Gilbert's brother Ludwig and was close to Gilbert himself, and that Agatha was half-siblings with Francis while Madeline was Francis' former foster sister. His co-workers glanced at each other for a moment, considering.

"Well…," Madeline started, "_Frere_ was saying something to me last night on the phone about how he had a surprise for me soon. I don't know if that's what he meant or not, though."

"Doubtful," Agatha said in a deadpan tone of voice. "Francis probably meant something _else_ as a surprise. You know how he is…"

"Not to me, he's not," Madeline defended. She hated it when siblings fought, especially if they were part of her own weird extended family. She had, all together, five foster- and former foster-siblings—including Natalia in the kitchen—as well as one full-blooded sibling. It got kind of tiring making sure everybody didn't kill each other in their sleep. "And you know he's not that bad, either. That's not his style, as much as he likes to put up a front that it is."

"Ve, Ludwig didn't mention anything either," Felicia cut in before Agatha could cut in again. Ludwig was currently working as his brother's manager and made sure to keep the band on strict schedule. If they were planning to make a side-trip back home, he would have been sure to tell his girlfriend about it. The group seemed to accept this but turned to Lovina to double check. Sometimes the band liked to come around and surprise their hometown and friends—whenever this happened, Antonio would usually somehow let something slip to Lovina who would feign surprise whenever they came over to the café.

Lovina only shrugged, however, and went back to checking the cash register to make sure that nothing had been entered in wrongly. "Last I heard from that bastard, he and his two friends were touring around Oregon after coming back from Canada. Then he started comparing me to a tomato again, so I tuned out. I think I would have remembered if he had said anything about coming back to Delaware, though." The group of employees, and a few of the eavesdropping customers who knew who and what they were talking about, took this as truth enough and decided to get back to what they were doing. They would see the three of them again whenever Bad Company decided to come home and not a moment longer.

* * *

><p>Antonio was in a really, really, really good mood. It was kind of hard not to be considering the band was doing really well lately and they had even managed to get in an interview with a really important and widely-read magazine! The magazine wanted an in-depth coverage of the band as a whole, and that meant even interviewing their friends and family. This meant that Antonio (and Francis, Gilbert and Ludwig) got to go home back to Pangaea again! That meant being able to see his precious, sweet, cute and adorable girlfriend, Lovina, again~! Antonio was practically shaking in anticipation. They talked on the phone whenever they could, which with their busy schedules pretty much meant only once a week and they emailed each other every day. Antonio would have texted her if he could, but Lovina wasn't really in the best mood whenever she texted since she still hadn't really gotten the hang of texting yet. Antonio himself was pretty forgetful and would tend to forget about whatever conversations they were having in between concerts and then it would just get confusing on what they were even talking about in the first place. The last time that Antonio had actually seen Lovina in person had been three months ago when Francis had dragged Gilbert and Antonio back home for his former foster siblings' birthdays.<p>

Antonio pouted. Lovina refused to come to any of their concerts, even though he always gave her free tickets and backstage passes. All of the members of the band had spare tickets and passes that they could give to friends and family, but not a lot of people took advantage of this. Alfred and Madeline would come to a concert every now and then, Felicia came whenever she could to support all three of them, and even Agatha came to one show (after being dragged to it by Alfred and Madeline). Lovina said that it was because if she wanted to see him prancing around and making a fool out of himself then she could just watch him at home for free instead of having to waste money on transportation and taking time off at the café.

Antonio could understand this to a point. Lovina's grandfather Romulus owned the café that she worked at, and had worked there ever since she was a teenager. Felicia was the favored grandchild, so Lovina was hoping that by working hard she would one day become manager and eventual owner of the café. Felicia was nice, but she wasn't quite right for management. It was both Lovina's and Antonio's hope that Lovina would be the one to succeed her grandfather. To do this, Lovina couldn't really take any time off to attend some silly concert of Antonio's when she could just as easily watch it while doing her shift at the café.

Nevertheless, Antonio made sure to start every concert off with a proclamation of his love for his girlfriend. Apparently, the female portion of their fans went wild over this, both in awe of his love and in jealousy also of his love. All three members of the band had many fans each, and some weren't that great about at least one of them having a girlfriend and being 'taken'. Still, others thought it was sweet that he seemed so devoted to this girl who never came to the concerts. Antonio just thought that his girlfriend was sweet, even if she was a bit closed off at times.

Voices in the van that he was currently riding in brought Antonio back to the present where Gilbert and Francis were talking excitedly with the reporter lady and photographer who came from the magazine for the interview while Ludwig calmly drove down the highway, steadfastly ignoring the other occupants of the van. To pass the time on the long drive from the airport in New Jersey, the three had been explaining who their various friends and family were. Antonio had been distracted whenever the subject of his girlfriend and her sister came up, so he had tuned out of the conversation. Judging by the way Gilbert was switching between laughing and scowling and the way Francis was smirking proudly yet fondly, they were most likely trying to explain Francis' family tree. Antonio smiled wryly. Francis' family was so messed up, it wasn't even funny.

For one, Francis' father and mother—both French, explaining Francis' heritage—had had a rocky marriage, even before Francis was born. When his mother found out she was pregnant, the two were hopeful that things would eventually mend between the two of them; unfortunately, they only got worse. It soon got to the point that shortly after Francis was born his father was caught in an affair with a British woman who immigrated to the US after college. When this woman became pregnant with Francis' half-sister Agatha, Francis' parents officially divorced. Agatha's parents were married a few months later, and Agatha was born. Relations between the siblings were strained at best, thanks to the animosity between mothers. Francis, when younger, loved to tease and annoy his 'baby' sister which definitely didn't help either. Now, though, Francis was trying to mend his relationship with Agatha, but she simply refused to admit that they were even related. That just made the Frenchman irritated, so he flirted with her whenever he saw her now—his excuse was 'well, if we're not related then I can flirt with you, non?'

Obviously, they didn't mention this part to the reporter. It was still quite humorous to Antonio and Gilbert, who loved to tease the two half-siblings whenever they could.

What they _did_ mention, however, was that in an effort to get the two to stop fighting with each other, their parents decided that what Francis and Agatha needed most was responsibility. As part of this, their parents decided to become foster-parents and brought in Alfred and Madeline to come live with them. Agatha bonded mostly with Alfred while Francis was closer to Madeline, so it didn't quite work out the way that their parents had hoped. A few years later, when the two youngest were just about to enter high school they were taken away by the foster system and put with a new family, luckily one still in the town—the Braginski family. Francis and Agatha were sad to see their foster siblings leave, and channeled this into a contest between the two of them into 'who was closer to them now that they didn't live together anymore?'

Gilbert laughed loudly in the cramped van, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders as he turned to the smiling reporter. "Yeah, his life is pretty much a soap opera that we all secretly like to laugh about and gossip like little girls as a guilty pleasure while we watch on as they do something stupid. Cable's got _nothing_ on them!" Francis delicately lifted Gilbert's arm off his shoulder and sniffed moodily.

"Not everyone can have as perfect a life as you have with your family, Gilbert. Even Antonio doesn't have it as good as you do, and _he_ has a girlfriend. Actually, I still find it laughable that out of the three of us, it's _Antonio_ that has a girlfriend." Antonio smiled goofily as he leant back in his seat.

"Yeah, I am pretty lucky, aren't I?"

"How did he get that from you mentioning his witchy girlfriend?" Gilbert grumbled so that Antonio couldn't hear. The lady reporter tilted her head in confusion. Francis decided to take pity on her (and the cameraman, though he didn't really count that much—he was married) and explained.

"Antonio's girlfriend, Lovina, is…how would you say…_difficult_, I think is the best word to use that's both accurate and won't get Antonio angry. Wouldn't you agree, Ludwig?" Francis asked their driver with a knowing smirk and gleam in his eye. Ludwig grunted, not bothering to look away from the road. "Lovina hates Ludwig—he's dating her sister."

Antonio looked back out the window, finally seeing some recognizable landmarks. Just another few minutes…

* * *

><p>Madeline had broom duty today. That meant that it was her job to stand around outside and sweep the dirt and debris off of the outside patio and sidewalk, possibly one of the dullest jobs at the café. She was so freaking bored. She wished that Kumarie could have been there, but she was with Alfred back at home. Alfred had been talking about trying to train her so that Kumarie would be able to help defend against burglars and intruders in their small house that Madeline and her brother shared together. Madeline herself thought that it probably wasn't a very good idea since Kumarie was rather violent anyways, but Alfred didn't listen. He never did.<p>

Madeline sighed. She was so bored.

Madeline was sweeping up trash into a small pile when she heard muffled chuckling coming from behind her. She didn't think much of it and continued to sweep up. The chuckling continued until it sounded like it was coming closer. That was odd. Madeline was just about to turn around when two pairs of strong arms grabbed her from both sides and pulled her into a hug. Madeline blinked, turning her head to see that both Francis and Gilbert were smiling at her. From behind, Antonio was smiling good naturedly with an unfamiliar woman and man standing next to him.

"Hello, _frère_, Gilbert. When did you three get back?" Gilbert pouted while Francis smiled warmly.

"Aw, it's no fun when you don't react, Maddie." Madeline merely smiled happily. It was always wonderful whenever these three came back, but most particularly Francis and Gilbert. Francis had been a brother of Madeline's for quite a while and Gilbert was a good friend. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't have a bit of an unrequited crush on the handsome man. Plus, he and Alfred were good friends.

"We only just arrived, _petit_. Did we surprise you?" They still hadn't let go of the 'Maddie-Sandwich', but Madeline didn't mind. It felt nice to be held like this by people she loved. It was safe, and warm.

"Not really," she admitted. "I could hear you two giggling behind me the entire time."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Gilbert asked curiously. Madeline shrugged.

"I didn't really think much of it at the time." Agatha and Katyusha were always telling her that she was too spacey. Ivan and Alfred thought it was just an adorable trait of hers. Alfred always said that it didn't matter if she was a 'space-case', since he would be there to protect her in case something happened. She turned around to fully face their audience, something that was actually rather hard to accomplish thanks to the two who were still hugging her from either side. "I'm Madeline by the way, Madeline Williams," she said, introducing herself to the two people she didn't recognize. "I would shake your hand, but I'm afraid I'm kind of caught at the moment." The lady smiled warmly while the man chuckled, rolling his eyes in jest.

"I've heard so much about you, Madeline," the lady said as she, Antonio and the man walked closer. "I'm Celia Taylor with OOXX;) Magazine, and this is Claude Markus, my camera man. We're going to be doing an in depth article on Bad Company, including their friends and family. From what I've heard, you're Francis' sister?" Madeline blinked, taking in the statement and question. An in-depth article? With their friends and family? Oh, the ones inside the café would _not_ be happy… "Madeline?"

"Oh, sorry," Madeline apologized. "I was thinking about something else. Um, yeah, I guess you could say that I'm his sister. I've been close with Francis and Gilbert since I was little—Antonio too, actually," she said quickly, hoping that she wasn't blushing like she thought she was. Trying to take the attention off of herself, Madeline tried to gesture to the café. "Agatha, Francis' real sister, is working today in the café. So are Felicia and Lovina, actually." Antonio visibly lit up and started bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Can we go ahead and get inside, now?" he asked excitedly. Francis and Gilbert both laughed, finally letting go of Madeline though Francis held her hand.

"Lead the way, _cher_."

* * *

><p>Lovina had been having a pretty average day so far. She and the rest of the female staff, which included that day her sister, Madeline (who was outside sweeping), Agatha, Natalia and Katyusha, confronted Grandpa Romulus over the length of the mandatory skirts that they had to wear and were struck down yet again—dirty old man; after making sure that Katyusha had stopped crying, Lovina had sent her over to Elizabeta's table to serve since the two were good friends. Agatha was filling up the napkin dispensers and Felicia and Natalia were in the kitchen again. Lovina herself was sitting in one of the corner booths as she went over the books and checked the inventory stocks. Yes, so far today had been a pretty average day.<p>

That is, until the doors were swept open in a grand gesture and a loud, obnoxious voice called into the café "Where is my sister? Come give Big Brother a hug, Agatha dearest~!"

Without even looking up Lovina called "Agatha, don't throw the napkin dispensers—you'll have to pay for it if you break it." On cue she heard grumbling and the sound of something metal being set back down on a table. Lovina almost smirked. Her employees were so predictable. "Also Francis, don't harass the waitresses; we get enough of that from Grandpa." Lovina felt a warm body slide into the booth next to her. She didn't need to look up to know that it was Antonio with a large grin on his face. He took her free hand and started stroking the back of it with his thumb in slow, soothing, familiar gestures. Lovina felt herself start to flush. She really had missed him, even if she would never admit it.

"Hey, Lovi," Antonio said brightly, leaning in closer so that he could look over her shoulder at the calculations she was making. Lovina felt herself swallow when she felt Antonio's breath next to her ear. "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm t-trying to check the books," she replied, steadfastly not looking in his direction. It didn't really matter how much time she spent around him, Lovina always felt shy and awkward around Antonio. He was always so… so much _cooler_ than she was. Even when they were in school together, he was the popular kid while she was the freak with the anger management issues, the perv grandfather, and the coolest restaurant to eat at. Now that they were adults, he was the rock star while she was the waitress. Lovina didn't see how he could even like her so much, but she was grateful he did. She just…wasn't very good at showing how much Antonio meant to her. While she was having her internal sulk-fest, Antonio's free hand came up and turned her face so that they were looking at each other. Antonio smiled happily, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"Hey, Lovi."

"H-hey, Antonio," she mumbled out, trying to look away from his gaze but for some reason she couldn't. His eyes kept her hypnotized, captivated even. She couldn't look away if she wanted to.

"Did you miss me?" Lovina scoffed.

"What kind of question is that?" Was it her imagination, or was Antonio getting closer? Their lips were inches apart from each other when a loud squeal came from behind, jerking the two lovers away from each other.

"Ludwig~!"

Lovina rolled her eyes, leaning back against the back of her seat. She watched idly as her sister ran across the entire expanse of the café to throw herself into Ludwig's arms right as the man walked through the doors. Antonio pouted when he couldn't get his kiss from Lovina, especially now that the mood was broken. Because she hated seeing him looking sad, Lovina turned sideways so that she could rest her legs in Antonio's lap. He started rubbing his hand up and down her legs, tracing the odd pattern in her pantyhose every now and then.

"Where was Ludwig when you all walked in?" Lovina asked just for the sake of having something to talk about. Antonio lit up again as he turned to face Lovina again.

"He was out back parking the van while we showed the reporter around," he said proudly, looking like he and Francis and Gilbert had done some kind of great feat. Lovina frowned, sitting up straight and taking her legs back. Antonio pouted again.

"What reporter?" Lovina asked shrewdly. True, she hadn't known that her boyfriend or his friends were coming back, but what was this about a reporter? Why would they even bring a reporter home with them?

Antonio nodded, pointing out a woman on next to the counter who was laughing and talking with Francis, Gilbert, her sister and Ludwig, and the other employees of the café. "That's Celia Taylor from OOXX;) Magazine, and the guy with her is her cameraman Claude Markus. They're doing an in-depth report on us! Isn't that great?"

"Fucking fantastic," Lovina muttered, narrowing her eyes at the reporter. "What does that even mean, 'in-depth report'? What are they going to do, interview everybody that ever knew you or something?" Antonio shook his head, squeezing the hand that he still had lovingly.

"Nah, I think she's just going to talk to our family and friends—close friends, that is. I think we might even hold the interview here in the café, since it's always been an important place for the three of us!"

"Yeah—you get free food," Lovina rolled her eyes again. She pushed against Antonio, gesturing that she wanted to be let out of the booth. As he was letting her out, Lovina spoke again. "You'd have to ask Grandpa if it's okay to hold the interview here. Legality issues and all that."

"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Antonio assured her. "Romulus would love for more people to come over and provide more business; they would just happen to be our fans, but I'm sure it would still work out okay. Our fans are great, Lovi!" Before Lovina could say anything else in response, like a denial of some sort, Gilbert's voice floated into their conversation.

"Oi, lovebirds!" he called loudly. "Stop being antisocial and come join the rest of us normal people!"

Lovina scowled in his direction. "Oh, I'm sorry. If I see anyone normal around here then I'll go and talk to them!" She and Antonio walked over to the sound of laughter.

L

* * *

><p>As Antonio predicted, Romulus was ecstatic to have a reporter from a famous magazine visit his café. Lovina had the feeling that he was happier to see the <em>single and attractive<em> lady reporter than about the actual interview. Romulus didn't even try to deny anything.

Currently, the café was closed up and most of the employees had been let off early. Romulus and Felicia were in the kitchen showing off their cooking skills while Bad Company and Ludwig, Lovina, the reporter and her camera man, and Agatha and Madeline, hung out around the counter. Lovina was pulled into Antonio's lap, but after a few moments of pointless 'struggle' she finally settled down with just a blush on her face as Antonio cuddled closer to her. Francis was in between Agatha and Madeline with an arm around each girl though Agatha kept slapping it away. Everyone was in the middle of sharing some story or another about the Bad Company while they waited for their food to finish.

"So, tell me more about this café," the reporter—Celia—asked, turning to face Lovina. Lovina raised an eyebrow and tried to pull off being aloof, but it was kind of hard to do when you had your boyfriend's arms around your waist—especially if your friends were sitting there watching while you knew your family was in the other room, listening to everything that was being said. But Lovina still had her dignity, so she didn't let her embarrassment stop her.

"What do you want to know about it?" she asked back. "It's not much, just some café in the middle of a small town that almost no one's heard of."

"No, no Lovi!" she heard her grandfather call from the kitchen. "You're supposed to say, 'it's the greatest place in the world!' And that you're proud to work here."

"Yeah, I'll be proud to work here when you finally do something about these skirts, dammit!" she snapped back, not caring for a moment that she was arguing like this in front of strangers. "It's indecent, and do you really want to see your granddaughters walking around like this?"

"I do," Gilbert, Antonio and Francis said at the same time. Lovina flushed and tried to smooth out her skirt so that it wasn't so short. It didn't work, and the small giggles that the reporter and cameraman laughed only made Lovina flush even more.

"Pervs," she mumbled, not looking anyone in the eye.

"That's why, sweetheart," Romulus said as he and Felicia walked through the door separating the kitchen from the main room. They had trays of food loaded on their arms, and Felicia walked with a kick in her step and a wink for a blushing Ludwig. "We get more customers this way."

"Felicia, stop prancing around like that!" Ludwig scolded. "You'll give brother and his friends _ideas_."

"Like she really needs to do anything for that to happen," Agatha scoffed, shoving Francis' face away from her. Madeline giggled, holding on to Francis' arm as Francis pouted.

"Aw, don't be that way," Madeline said. "_Frere_'s actually really nice when you get to know him, you know." Agatha hissed, glaring at Madeline.

"Stop speaking French!" she said heatedly. "It's vile, and disgusting. You're brother doesn't speak French."

"Yeah, but I can't be like my brother," Madeline said with a deadpan. A few snorts went around the group from those that knew Alfred. All agreed, it was a very good thing that Madeline wasn't more like her brother—they didn't think that anyone could handle _two_ Alfred's.

"Oh, your brother?" Celia asked, turning excitedly to Madeline. "What's he like?" A silence went through the group as they chose their own plates and contemplated how they would answer. They didn't have the chance to come up with something, though, since the doors to the café suddenly swung open and there standing in the middle of the entryway was the resident Hero himself.

"_That's_ what he's like," most of the people in the room said at the same time. Alfred didn't notice and came in with a smile on his face.

"You know, the sign says that we're closed," Romulus said idly, leaning against the counter. Alfred waved him off, walking over to the rest of the group. He and Gilbert pounded fists as he passed to stand next to his sister.

"Yeah, I saw it," he said breezily, a smile on his face. "But Maddie didn't come home, and I heard Bad Company was back in town. I had to come over and say hi!" Lovina rolled her eyes. Her friends… that's pretty much all she could say about them. They always seemed to be energetic and in everyone's business. Admittedly, she was like that too, but still. Lovina listened idly as Celia filled Alfred in on who she was and what she was doing there.

Truthfully, Lovina wasn't quite sure how she felt about this interview in general. Sure, it was nice that her boyfriend's band was starting to get more and more popular and famous enough to even _get_ an interview with OOXX;) Magazine, but for some reason she just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She had heard what some of their 'fans' said about her (yeah, Lovina liked to skulk around the fan sites, so what?), and she didn't really like what she saw. They would talk about how Antonio was wasted on her, and how he could do so much better. What really got to Lovina, though, was that these people, these fans, didn't even know her. They didn't know what she was like. All they really knew about 'Antonio's secret girlfriend' was that she never went to any of the concerts while Antonio started off every single one by saying that he loved her. He always seemed to know that she was watching, and Antonio told her once that he did it so that way he could still tell her how much she meant to him even though they weren't together. Lovina blushed furiously and started spluttering about something or another when he said that, but the message still stuck with her. She really was lucky to have him.

And that's what made all those things that the fans said about her so hurtful—even though they didn't know her, or know anything about her, they were still right. Antonio really _was_ wasted on her. He really _could_ do better. Antonio really did _deserve_ better than Lovina. It hurt to know that, despite everything, Lovina still couldn't get rid of her insecurities. She woke up every day expecting to see a message from Antonio telling her that it was real, it was fun, but it wasn't really fun and he had found someone else—most likely someone else who was famous. Lovina knew she couldn't compete with the girls that Antonio would hang out with at parties and concerts, the supermodels, and the starlets, and the actresses, and the famous singers. Antonio really _could_ do better than Lovina…and she knew it.

Lovina also knew that her pessimistic attitude wasn't helpful for their relationship, either. How was it fair to Antonio if Lovina started questioning every move that he made? Eventually, he really might get tired of her and decide to go for someone a little saner, a little more normal, and a little less high maintenance. Someone who could love him just as much as he loved them.

Lovina looked over balefully at where her sister was flirting shamelessly with her stiff-necked boyfriend. They looked so happy, so—perfect—for each other. Even Ludwig was smiling slightly while talking with Felicia. Lovina felt sick in her stomach. She wanted what they had. Everything seemed so nice for Felicia and Ludwig; neither of them had to doubt that the other loved them. Neither of them doubted over whether they were right for the other. Lovina wanted what they had so, so much.

* * *

><p>Antonio was excited to be back. He had his girlfriend with him, and everyone was with their friends and family, and everything was just going nice right now. Right now, he was getting ready for a date with Lovina. He flushed slightly when he thought about it. He had always liked Lovina, ever since he realized that girls didn't actually have cooties. Well, maybe a little later than that, since it was kind of creepy to say that he had been in love with his girlfriend ever since they were little kids. It sounded nice to say at first, but when you thought about it… it was actually kind of creepy. And Antonio's feelings for Lovina were <em>not<em> crazy! They were anything but! He had been so nervous about asking Lovina out at first, especially since everyone in town knew about her grandfather and how much he doted on his two granddaughters. Romulus was something of a legend in Pangaea, and one that Antonio hadn't wanted to mess with. But, when he found out that Lovina felt the same about him, suddenly Romulus didn't seem so scary anymore. In fact, the old man was the one to tell Antonio to grow a set and ask out his oldest grandbaby already, since he didn't like seeing her all mopey and depressed whenever the topic of 'boyfriends' and 'Antonio' came up. Antonio took him up on that offer, and he hadn't regretted it since.

Antonio checked his watch. He was almost to Lovina's house, and he wanted to get there in time. They had reservations at one of the fancier restaurants in town and Antonio wanted to surprise her with where they were going. Oh, sure, they could have just gone to the Café for their date, but Lovina worked there and practically lived there anyway. Antonio wanted to give his girlfriend the chance to be able to sit down in a restaurant for once and order the staff around like how she usually was at her job. Let it never be said that Antonio was not a considerate boyfriend.

When Antonio pulled up outside of Lovina's house, she was already standing on the porch waiting for him. Antonio couldn't help but smile at that. It looked like she was looking forward to this date just as much as he was. Antonio rushed out of his truck so that he could meet Lovina halfway down the sidewalk and pull her into a hug. Lovina stiffened at first before she cautiously hugged him back. Antonio melted inside over how positively adorable she was. He knew that she got so shy and insecure around him and he felt flattered. If anything, it should have been Antonio that was worried. After all, Lovina was a very, very attractive woman. She also had a promising career ahead of her, even if she was 'just a waitress' right now. It was practically assured that she would be the one to inherit her grandfather's restaurant, and she made quite a steady income as it was; definitely more than any waitress at any other place.

Romulus' café was very popular, not only in town but also outside of the city limits. He employed live music to come and play every Friday and Saturday, and they served great home cooked meals that were both reasonably priced and quickly made. The restaurant itself was doing okay as it was, but Antonio knew that after the interview that he and his friends gave about their hometown and favorite place to eat at, there were sure to be more customers.

Antonio pulled away, looking into Lovina's unsure eyes. He smiled gently as he brushed some of her hair out of her face, careful to avoid that one particular hair curl that always managed to get him a punch in the gut one way or another.

"Ready to go on our date, Lovi?" he asked almost softly. Lovina's hands, which had a hold of his shirt somehow, tightened their grip as she looked away shyly.

"Yeah, I guess. Bastard," she through in, just to let Antonio know where he stood with her. Antonio laughed and led her to his truck, opening her door for her because he was a gentleman. And, because he knew that it annoyed her to know end whenever someone did something like that for her. As she repeatedly liked to say, she was her own woman, dammit, and she could open her own god dammed door! Antonio merely smiled at the glare that she sent his way, glad that she was at last starting to feel more like herself again. Ever since he told her about the reporter and the interview, Lovina had been acting a little off, like she was suddenly unsure about their relationship again. The last time that this had happened had been when Lovina was a senior in high school right before prom. Antonio had just started out with Francis and Gilbert as a band, and they were still relatively unknown. Lovina hadn't wanted to distract him from his touring, especially since on the night of her senior prom Antonio was supposed to be having a concert.

Antonio ended up skipping the concert, which was just as well anyway. He didn't want to be the kind of musician that cared only about his music and not about the one that inspired him, nor did he want to ruin Lovina's senior year. Of course, Francis himself was a hard-core romantic, something left over from his parents' messy relationship. Francis no doubt would have hit Antonio repeatedly if he had even thought about skipping his girlfriend's prom just for 'some silly little concert'. Even Gilbert had been about to get on Antonio's case about it, which was quite funny since it was Gilbert who was the most serious about their whole 'band' thing. In the end, prom had been great and the concert that they were supposed to go to ended up getting canceled anyway because of faulty wiring in the concert hall. Ludwig told them later that they wouldn't have even been paid for it, since they signed a bad contract without reading through all the fine print first. That was how Ludwig became their manager, actually.

When Antonio and Lovina were finally seated at their table in the fancy restaurant, Antonio noticed that his girlfriend was still distracted by something. He reached across the table to take her hand, causing her to jump slightly when she didn't expect the sudden action. Antonio rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand comfortingly as he looked at her questioningly.

"Is there something wrong, Lovi?" he asked. "You're acting kind of spacey. Is there something on your mind?" Lovina frowned and looked away, huffing slightly. Antonio waited patiently, knowing that she would tell him when she was ready. If something was really bothering her, she would tell him. Antonio knew she would.

"It's…it's nothing," she said finally. Antonio frowned. Obviously there was something bothering her—it couldn't be 'nothing'.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "Because if there is something, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He wanted to let Lovina know that she could trust him, with anything. He always wanted to be her safe place, the one person that she knew that wouldn't judge her or make her feel uncomfortable; the one person she could confide in. Lovina looked like she was going to get angry at him but then she deflated, all the fight leaving her.

"…I want what Felicia and Ludwig have," she said quietly, face red, as she looked at her lap. "I'm not envious of Ludwig, at _all_, and I don't really…I don't know, I don't want to be like those two. I just…I want what they have. Together. They always seem so happy, and I know that we're happy, too," she said in a rushed voice, looking up at Antonio when she said this last part to let him know that she wasn't saying that she was unhappy with him. "But, you have to admit that things aren't really perfect. I…I know I'm not that great to be around, and-"

"Lovina, that's enough," Antonio said suddenly, cutting off whatever she was about to say next. "I think you're perfect. And even if you aren't, so what? Who really is, anyway? I like you for you, and I know you like me for me. So what's the problem?" Lovina frowned again, looking at her silverware.

"But… Felicia and Ludwig always look so fucking _perfect_ together… I don't know, I guess I just want what they have."

"I don't," Antonio said frankly, surprising Lovina into looking straight at him for the first time the whole evening. Antonio had to suppress a smirk at that; it looked like he was still able to surprise his girlfriend after all! He could see that she still didn't really understand what he meant, though, since Lovina was starting to look a little hurt at his words. Antonio couldn't have that. "What's wrong with wanting what we have?"

Lovina blinked, surprised. She looked like she hadn't considered that point. "What…we have?"

"Yes. So what if your sister and Gil's brother look like they're happy and perfect all the time? I would still rather have what we have instead of what they do. I kind of doubt that they have as much fun together as we do; I mean, can you see Ludwig actually having _fun_ whenever he or Felicia have to go to the market to pick out the fresh produce? I know _we_ have fun doing that. Why not let them wish that they could have what we do? I'm perfectly happy with what we have, myself. What about you, Lovi?"

Lovina stared at her plate for a moment, thinking about what Antonio had said. Slowly, she looked back up at him, a shy smile peeking its way onto her face. She blushed daintily, something that Antonio always looked forward to.

"…Thanks, Antonio. You always know just what to say."

That smile and those words of thanks were more than enough for Antonio for that evening.

* * *

><p>Antonio and Lovina had a rough relationship, when all was said and done. The two did break up at one point and they had a few nasty run-ins with fans every now and then but they still managed to stick together until the very end. It wasn't always easy, especially at first, but the two were able to have the kind of love story that they had always wanted. And that was just enough for them.<p>

Antonio, Francis and Gilbert became even more popular after their interview with OOXX;) Magazine and they were very busy for quite a while—even with their new found popularity, they still managed to have fun and even hit the charts at number one for a good portion of their career. When the time came for them to retire, they held one last concert that all of their friends and family came to—including Lovina. After the concert, Lovina mentioned that it wasn't as great as they had said it would be. She couldn't understand why they were always so adamant about her coming to one of their concerts, since nothing really exciting happened. Then Felicia spilled her sister's secret about how she was one of the loudest at the concert as she cheered for everyone on stage. Lovina flushed and chased after her sister, but Antonio pulled her in for a hug and a kiss. He was just glad that she had enjoyed herself.

Lovina did eventually inherit her grandfather's café, but it wasn't because he died. No, Grandpa Romulus grew bored with the small-town scene so he decided to retire, pack up and move somewhere more exciting. He made sure that Felicia and Lovina kept in constant contact with him up until the time he finally died. When he did, everyone was sure that it was a really bad practical joke since it seemed like he would live forever. Apparently, they were wrong. Lovina was very successful with her café and finally managed to change the girls' skirt lengths into something a bit more appropriate for a family café. And a family café it was, especially after she and Antonio finally got married and had two kids, a girl and a boy.

Much to no one's surprised, Felicia and Ludwig ended up getting married, too. They had a son, Erik, who took after his father in diligence but after his mother in being able to make everyone like him. Even Lovina liked him, despite the fact that he clearly had a German name. But, she allowed, everyone's got to have something that makes them a little off.

Francis was finally able to get Agatha to admit that he was her brother, although it took a lot of time and effort on his part. Both were glad when this finally happened, though, since that meant that Francis was finally able to stop flirting with her. Both agreed that it had been creepy, but Francis insisted that if she had just said something earlier then they wouldn't have had to go through all of that. It took both Alfred and Madeline to keep Agatha from trying to strangle her newly found 'big brother'. The twins wondered what they ever did to get such a weird extended family, and this was counting the fact that they were related to Katyusha, Ivan and Natalia as well. Yes, they wondered what they ever did to deserve such a thing. Alfred and Madeline both agreed that they would have to do it again, sometime.

Lovina and Antonio went on to live long, happy lives that were devoted to music, the café, and each other. They both agreed that they couldn't have been happier.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Two; Next Up—It's So Hard To Say 'Goodbye'.<em>


	23. Life 23 The Hospital Visit

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 23; The Hospital Visit  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Dying!Antonio x Visiting/Saying Goodbye!Lovino; Antonio is sick in the hospital. Sometimes, saying goodbye is the hardest thing a person can do. For Lovino, it's the worse thing that he's ever had to do.  
><em>_Rating__: T for character death and slight language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Character death, slight language, my bad writing skills, angst and sadness, a probably not very accurate representation of a death scene, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, mentions of Masaccio (Seborga), Gilbert, Emma, Carlos and slight mentions of Luxembourg. Also, a few nameless OC's.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino.  
><em>_Word Count__: 2,665.  
><em>_Notes__: This chapter hits a little too close to home for me for various reasons. It's sad, but I hope you like it. Written with 'When You're Gone' by Avril Lavigne in the background. If you really want to feel sad, I suggest listening to that song while reading this._

_On another note, next chapter will be up next Wednesday. Normally, because of this one's length, the next chapter would have been up Saturday, but because of various reasons (it's 'Dead Week', otherwise known as the week before finals, I have so many papers due you wouldn't believe [those of you in college and grad. school, on the other hand, would], I'm seriously busy, and I think I'm getting sick), I won't be able to update in time. So, next week it is. Again, I'm sorry about that._

* * *

><p>Lovino nodded hello to the nurses standing in the hallway. They gave him sad looks in response, something that he had been expecting. Lovino carried a bouquet of flowers in his hand. They had always made Antonio feel better and smile. Lovino tried not to think as his legs led him down the very familiar hallways of the hospital. He had been there every day for the past couple of weeks, if not months, by now so he knew the way perfectly.<p>

Lovino stopped in to see how the patient in room 324 was doing. They had started chatting a few days ago and he had just found out that the patient was going to be leaving the hospital soon. After saying congratulations one more time, Lovino set down the hall again. He stopped at a few more rooms along the way, saying goodbye to the patients one by one. He wouldn't be coming back again.

Finally, Lovino knew that he couldn't put this particular visit off. It was the whole reason why he was at the hospital in the first place. He took a deep breath and clenched the bouquet close to him. It was stupid, really, to be so choked up, especially after so long. He thought that he would have been used to this feeling by now. He thought that he would have been numb by now. But Lovino wasn't. No, today was too surreal for him to be numb.

Today was Antonio's last day.

About a little over half a year ago, Lovino's long-time boyfriend had been diagnosed with cancer. Lovino had cried then, and Antonio had comforted him.

"We don't even know if it's going to kill me," he had assured Lovino, though his voice was a little shaky and choked up, too. "I'm a fighter, Lovi. I'll be fine." But Antonio wasn't fine. After several medical check-ups, the doctors told him that the cancer _was_ malignant. He would die, unless they were able to use chemotherapy and find a donor for the infected areas. Lovino was hopeful and was already clearing out his schedule for the next couple of months to make time for caring for Antonio under chemotherapy when Antonio of all people stopped him.

"I don't want to go under the donor's list," Antonio insisted. Lovino, and even the doctor, tried to persuade him that there was still a good chance of finding a donor, even if it would be a while. But Antonio was still adamant that he wouldn't go through with the treatments.

"I don't want to take anyone else's chances of survival away from them," Antonio explained to a tearful and angry Lovino one night. "I can't do that to someone I don't even know." Lovino had demanded to know why Antonio wasn't trying everything to let him live and Antonio finally smiled wryly and told him. When Lovino started freaking out again Antonio had had to grab a hold of Lovino's arms and forcibly made them sit on the couch until Lovino had calmed down slightly. "Think of it this way," Antonio murmured to him as he held Lovino in his arms. "This way we won't get our hopes up about the treatment. We don't even know if it would work in the first place; this way, we do know. It's okay, though. I'm making this choice myself. We can make my…my last days the best that they could be." Antonio had said a few other things like that, but Lovino had stopped listening by then. It all amounted to the same thing, really.

Antonio was going to die, and he wasn't going to try to do anything to help.

Lovino had been furious. Even after Antonio had explained everything, Lovino was too upset to really listen. He had yelled at Antonio some more before he stormed out of the house they shared. It wasn't until the next day that Lovino had finally returned, with a clearer mind than before. Talking with his brother had helped. But Lovino had known and loved Antonio for years—he knew that this was Antonio's personality to not want to take away someone else's chances at life so that he could save his. It didn't mean that he liked his decision, but he respected the reasons why. They spent the next few months together, trying to make them count in between cancer treatments that didn't help nearly as much as they should have.

Then about two months ago, Antonio took a turn for the worse. Lovino had rushed his boyfriend to the hospital, and Antonio hadn't left once. Lovino visited every day, bringing in various things that would improve Antonio's mood and time spent in the hospital. None of them mentioned it, but they knew that he wouldn't be leaving every again. Today, though, Lovino received a call from the doctor who was treating Antonio—it didn't look good, and it was very doubtful that he would make it through the night. Lovino had been stunned. So soon? Even though he had known that Antonio would die, hearing from the doctor that it would be that day was shocking. It hadn't seemed real before… but now Lovino knew that it was all catching up to him. It was true. Antonio was really going to die today. Lovino immediately called up his boss and explained the circumstances. His boss was sympathetic and allowed Lovino the rest of the week off so he could put affairs in order. Lovino hung up, too shocked to say anything more.

Now, Lovino was standing outside of Antonio's hospital room door. He wanted desperately to be in there with him, to hold Antonio close and be held by Antonio in turn. But he also was afraid of what he would see. Had the doctors told him yet that he was going to die really soon? How was he taking it? Was Antonio doing okay? Lovino felt like smacking himself for the last thought. Of course Antonio wasn't doing okay—he was dying, wasn't he?

He…he probably really wanted to see Lovino right now. Lovino knew that if it was him, he would have wanted Antonio by his side for the entire time. Feeling suddenly panicked, he quickly grasped the door handle and opened the door as quickly as he could. Antonio, who was lying on a bed inside, looked up suddenly, a weak smile on his face. Lovino flushed and entered the room quietly, closing the door softly behind him.

"Hey, Lovi," Antonio said weakly. He tried to sit up more but struggled, his arms too weak to really be able to lift his body properly. Lovino rushed forward and helped him sit up, scolding softly for trying to overexert himself. Antonio noticed the flowers in Lovino's hands.

"Oh! Are those for me…~?" It broke Lovino's heart to hear how weak his voice was. To Lovino, Antonio was always the strong one, the one that nothing bad happened to. Ever since they were kids and Antonio had protected Lovino from bullies, he had always been the strong one in Lovino's world. That had changed with the cancer, but even when Antonio was fighting it he had somehow still remained cheerful and upbeat. Lovino could almost admit that there wasn't actually a problem. But now, here at the end, it seemed that the toll of Antonio's fight had finally caught up with the Spanish man. Lovino swallowed, looking away as he let Antonio hold onto the flowers. He pulled up a chair that was in the room and moved it over to stand next to Antonio's bed. He would have sat next to him on the bed, but Lovino didn't want to crush his frail body.

Antonio had other ideas, however. When he saw that Lovino was sitting in a chair, he dropped the bouquet and moved over, tugging at Lovino's hand. Obviously he wanted Lovino next to him on the bed. Lovino's eyes started watering but he complied. He couldn't say no to Antonio, especially not now. He would do anything, anything in the world to make Antonio feel better. After he crawled up onto the bed next to Antonio, he wrapped his arms gently around Antonio's warm body. They stayed like that for a while, talking softly to each other. Lovino tried to memorize every pitch, every tone, and every inflection of Antonio's voice. He knew he wouldn't get another chance to hear it every again, or hear the wonderful things that Antonio would tell him. In return, Lovino opened up and told Antonio how much he loved him, and how much the Spaniard meant to him. Antonio shivered a few times in Lovino's arms but Lovino wouldn't put another blanket on him. Antonio had a fever, and he wasn't sure if Antonio's weak body could handle another heavy blanket. Instead, he put his jacket over the both of them as a make-shift blanket and rubbed Antonio's arms as best as he could to stimulate warmth.

They talked about many things. They talked about how much they meant to each other, they talked about the past and how much fun they had together and all the other good times that they had shared with each other. Lovino mentioned when the first time that he realized that he was in love with Antonio was, something that caused a light flush to come over Antonio's pale cheeks. Antonio countered with all of the various plans that he had had to try and confess to Lovino with and what made him finally decide on bringing Lovino over to their favorite farmer's market and presenting him with a tomato that said 'I love you; will you go out with me?'

They also talked about their friends and family. Antonio was sad that he wouldn't be able to see Gilbert or Emma again, but that he was okay because he had already said his goodbyes. Lovino talked about how his brother would be sad to see him go, but it felt kind of hollow since Masaccio hadn't been that close to Antonio. They talked about their mutual friends, Emma and Carlos, and how it always seemed that they could never actually get a chance to finally meet Emma's little brother. Lovino promised, in a choked up voice, that he would finally meet Emma's brother and take a picture of him first chance that he got and then bring the picture over so that Antonio could finally see him. Neither mentioned the fact that Antonio would be dead by this time, so Lovino would be bringing it over to a cemetery.

Eventually, they ran out of things to say. It was just as well; Antonio's throat was growing dry and tired, and Lovino was getting more and more worried about his fever. He had left the bed once to try and find a nurse or someone that could do something about it, but the only thing that happened was a harried and busy nurse's aide gave him some generic fever medicine and a glass of water before rushing off to answer some code in another ward. Lovino stared at the medicine and then went back to Antonio and announced that the doctor's finally caved and gave him the newest headache medicine available. He wasn't sure if Antonio would have believed him before he had gotten sick, but now Antonio seemed too tired and sick to care.

They sat together for another couple of hours, Antonio leaning against Lovino's chest and breathing shallowly while Lovino ran his fingers through Antonio's once luxurious and thick hair. After a few rounds of chemotherapy, his hair had fallen out completely. When everyone finally admitted that the therapy wasn't helping, they had stopped and Antonio's hair grew back eventually. It wasn't nearly as long as it used to be, and was barely a few inches long, but it still made him look more like the old Antonio, the one who hadn't been sick; more so than the bald Antonio who had looked more like a pathetic baby bird than Lovino's once passionate lover.

Lovino heard Antonio murmur something quietly, and then a few minutes later Antonio's breathing slowed down until it stopped completely. The heart monitor let out a long, low beep that called in the attending doctor on call who declared that Antonio had died at 9:29 PM. Lovino pulled the body in his arms closer and cried, not caring who else around them saw him lose himself like that. He felt entitled; the love of his life had just passed away.

After a few minutes the doctors let him grieve in peace, but then they eventually managed to get him to calm down and meet with their chaplain to make arrangements for what to do next. Before Lovino left, though, he kissed Antonio on the cheek and whispered 'Goodbye, Tomato Bastard. I _will _see you again.'

Lovino was right. That was the last time that he ever stepped foot in that hospital.

* * *

><p>"<em>Goodbye, Lovi. I love you…<em>"

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Three; Next Up!—Just Try And Catch Me, Tomato-Cop Bastard! –Signed, The Moonlit Thief.<em>


	24. Life 24 Catch Me If You Can

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 24; Catch Me If You Can  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Cop!Antonio x Gentleman Thief!Lovino; Antonio is a cop and Lovino is an infamous jewel thief. This can't end well.  
><em>_Rating__: T for some language. You know the drill.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some language, probably not what you're expecting, kind of an abrupt chapter, my bad writing skills, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Emma, Feliciano, Ludwig, mentions of Grandpa Romulus.  
><em>_Pairings__: Brief Antonio/Lovino, Antonio/Emma, Lovino/Ludwig.  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,668.  
><em>_Notes__: Sorry for the (slightly) late update. But hey; it's still Wednesday somewhere! Also, I have computer problems. You don't even know..._

_As for this chapter, you may notice some parallels with __Magic Kaito__ or __Detective Conan__. This is because this chapter is influenced by Kaitou Kid (Phantom Thief 1412). So, I would just like to say that I don't own those. Gosho Aoyama does._

* * *

><p>"Stop, Thief!"<p>

"Get back here and return those jewels!"

Antonio followed behind at a relaxed pace as his fellow officers shouted in pandemonium and ran after a solitary figure in the night. They were chasing after the infamous Moonlit Thief, the one criminal that Antonio had been chasing after his entire career. Ever since Antonio met the Thief one moonlit night, he had sworn that he would capture the Thief no matter what. Considering this promise, it probably seemed a little off that he wasn't rushing after the thief now with the rest of his fellow officers. The reason for this was simple—that wasn't the Moonlit Thief. Oh, the Moonlit Thief loved to take to running on the top of the rooftops and flying out over the town on his hang glider, but Antonio could tell by the jerky movements of the thing that everyone was chasing that the Moonlit Thief had slipped through their grasps once again; they were chasing a dummy strapped to a spare hang glider.

Antonio wasn't worried, however. If he knew the Moonlit Thief—and boy, did he know that guy; Antonio was starting to get the feeling that he was being stalked—Antonio knew that the Thief would still be skulking around right now, watching from the shadows and taunting the officers that were running around after him. Just as the Moonlit Thief had disappeared with the very expensive Andromeda Belt (a long strand of various jewels that made a long, thick rope that could either be a necklace or even used as a belt; just one jewel from the strand could buy Antonio's house ten times over easily), Antonio had noticed that there was a homeless person that was walking calmly down the street, patting at his pocket every now and then. Antonio smirked. It looked like the Thief was starting to lose his touch. This was almost too easy.

Antonio carefully crossed the street and started tailing after the homeless guy, trying to appear as casual as a cop in a trench coat could considering that the rest of the officers were running off down the street. Antonio knew that the homeless guy knew that Antonio was following him, but he wanted to see how far the guy would lead him before confronting Antonio. Perhaps the Thief wasn't losing his touch after all; damn.

If there was something else about the Moonlit Thief that Antonio knew by heart, it was that the Thief just loved to annoy Antonio. The Thief was also strangely confrontational, something that Antonio had been hoping for years would make the Thief trip up eventually so that the cop could take him in. That day hadn't come yet, but Antonio was ever hopeful.

The homeless man—the Moonlit Thief—led Antonio down a few alleyways before making a sharp right turn. Antonio hurried to catch up with him but when he came to the turn all he saw was an empty alleyway. Dammit; where did that thief get off to?

"Looking for someone, Tomato-bastard?"

Antonio froze at the voice that was coming from right behind him. He could feel the other's breath on the back of his throat. Antonio gave a little shiver involuntarily, hoping that it wasn't noticeable. He turned around to face the Moonlit Thief dressed not as a homeless man but in his usual costume.

"I hate it when you do that," Antonio said breezily, putting his hands into his trench coat pockets. He tried to scowl, but he had never been that great at 'negative' emotions. Moonlit Thief tilted his head mockingly, a smirk on his face.

"Hate what?" he answered back. "Me stealing the things you're supposed to be guarding—and getting away with it? You never being able to catch me? Your own incompetence? Being called tomato-bastard? You're going to have to be more specific than that, Tomato-Cop Bastard."

"No—well, yeah, I don't like it when you call me a bastard; my parents were _married_ when they had me," Antonio ignored the Thief's scoffing sound. He knew about the Thief's view on marriage, so he ignored him for the sake of finishing his conversation. "What I don't like is when you keep appearing out of nowhere behind me. You're lucky I'm used to it by now and that I don't carry a gun, you know."

"Please, I could dodge a stupid bullet," Moonlit Thief boasted. The trouble was, Antonio knew he was telling the truth. Once on one of the Thief's heists, some over anxious security guard choked up and started shooting at the Thief; the agile little annoyance managed to dodge out of the way before any of the bullets could graze him. While Antonio was glad that it hadn't come to the Thief actually getting shot, as a cop he was still disappointed that the bullets hadn't even grazed him; if there had been any blood evidence left at the crime, they could have used that to try and figure out the Thief's identity. Alas, he still remained a mystery. "That's beside the point, though. What's a nice man like you doing out on the big bad streets like this?" The Thief threw him a flirty wink that Antonio almost wasn't able to see thanks to the Thief's fedora and monocle covering his face.

"Oh, you know; catching bad guys, _like you_."

"Well, you've caught me, officer," Moonlit Thief said sarcastically, holding his wrists out to be handcuffed. Antonio wasn't going to fall for that one, though. Many, many times he had just slapped the handcuffs on the infamous Thief when there was suddenly a puff of smoke or a flash of light that blocked everyone's view of the thief. When the smoke/light cleared away, all that would be left were a pair of fake hands and wrists, the handcuffs, the Thief's calling card and usually the jewel that he had just stolen.

"I'm sure," Antonio said. He held out his hand expectantly. "Just hand over the Belt already, Thief. You were going to do that anyway, right?" The Thief shrugged noncommittally and tossed over the famous strand of jewels. Antonio caught it deftly and carefully put it away in his pocket for safe keeping. He didn't have to be worried about the Thief switching it out for a fake copy—that wasn't the Thief's style. Whenever he stole something, usually jewels though in the past it could have been anything, he always returned it. Antonio didn't know why, but it was this 'return policy' that let the police go easier on the Thief than if it had been someone else.

"So, you have what you need now, right Tomato-Cop Bastard?" The Thief said, edging slightly away from Antonio. Antonio made sure to match his movements carefully; he could see by the way the Moonlit Thief was frowning that he was interfering with the Thief's escape route plan. Cue Antonio's happiness. "May I leave now, or do you want to try to arrest me again?"

Antonio thought for a while, enjoying that he was making the Thief unnerved as he waited. If Antonio made a move to try and arrest the Thief, he would easily get away. Antonio had seen it happen numerous times, including to himself. No, if Antonio ever wanted to catch the Moonlit Thief, he would have to have backup. He had come to that unfortunate reality a long time ago.

"Well, I do have to be getting back home," Antonio finally said. "Emma's probably still waiting up for me." Antonio missed the way the Thief's lip curled.

"Well if that's it, then I'm leaving before anymore of your goons show up," the Thief said in a slightly angry tone of voice. He was turning around to leave when Antonio stopped him.

"Wait, I have one question," Antonio said as he grabbed hold of the Thief's arm. The Thief froze and turned his head slowly so that he was looking at Antonio from the side. "Why do you always return everything you steal? Are you only stealing because of boredom, or because you want to test yourself? Or are you looking for something in particular, and you just haven't found it yet?"

"You're sharper than I give you credit for," the Thief said, slight surprise in his voice. He turned to face Antonio fully, a coy smile on his face. "There _is_ something in particular that I want to steal, you know. I just haven't had the opportunity." Antonio had a feeling he knew where the Thief was going with this, but he was still curious. If Antonio could finally find a _motive_ for why the Thief did the things he did, then…well, he would be a lot closer to being able to catch the Thief, at least. He wasn't quite sure how, though; he'd leave that to the criminal profilers.

"What's that?" Antonio asked despite himself. The Moonlit Thief's smile grew even more.

"You're heart, of course… Tomato-Cop Bastard."

* * *

><p>Their meeting, when Antonio thought back on it, was actually relatively normal. Sure, they were both at a crime scene just after the Moonlit Thief had struck again for the first time in years and Antonio was trying to catch him, but it was still a pretty normal meeting. That is, if normal meetings happen on rooftops at night. The moon had been full in the sky and was just reaching its peak when Antonio had burst out onto the roof.<p>

He had been the only one in the room to see that the Moonlit Thief had left through one of the side entrances, the one that led straight to the roof. Antonio had heard stories about how the Moonlit Thief liked to escape from the rooftops. He had just been promoted to Inspector and figured that one of the best ways to make his mark would be to capture the Moonlit Thief. The rest of the officers were panicking downstairs, looking over every spare corridor and spare room in the museum that they had been posted at. Antonio knew that if he waited for them to realize what was happening, they would miss out on capturing the elusive Thief. Antonio knew what he had to do.

Antonio had just burst through the door and was looking around the empty roof when he realized that it was entirely possible that the Moonlit Thief had already left. Antonio slumped, depressed at the reality in front of him. He was alone on the roof, the Thief was long gone, and his superiors and colleagues were downstairs, probably wondering where he went. Antonio groaned. His first assignment as Inspector, and he was probably going to get disciplined for leaving the rest like that. Antonio was about to turn around to head back when he heard snickering in the dark. He paused, looking around for the source of the sound. Maybe he was hearing things?

That was when he saw movement from his right. Antonio stared in the darkness, trying to make out the figure that was blending almost perfectly with the night. He didn't have to wait long, however, before the Moonlit Thief himself stepped out of the shadows. The full moon shone behind Antonio, reflecting off of the monocle that the Thief wore. Surprisingly that one monocle, combined with his fedora covering part of the face, hid the Thief very well. The only features that Antonio could make out were high cheekbones, a strong nose, and a smirk on his thin lips.

"Well, well, well, Detective Inspector," the Thief taunted lightly. "Of all the people to have found me, it's you. Maybe I should congratulate you? After all, you're the first person to find me this quick."

Antonio smirked back, adrenaline surging through his veins. "Maybe you're losing your touch?" he bantered back, trying not to draw attention to where he was reaching for his handcuffs. The Moonlit Thief still noticed, however. Antonio should have known that he would.

"If you're going to try to arrest me by yourself, I suggest against it," the Thief said airily, walking past Antonio and out towards the center of the rooftop, bathed in moonlight. The light of the moon made the Thief's skin eerily pale, especially in comparison to his starch-white suit. If the suit had been a darker color, Antonio would have thought that the Thief was actually a part of the mafia or some other criminal underground, especially with his fedora. Somehow, the Thief managed to pull off 'classy gentleman' while still sounding like a complete jerk. "You'll need more than just yourself to try and bring me in, you know."

"We'll see about that," Antonio muttered, narrowing his eyes as he groped in his pockets for his handcuffs. His hand grasped something vaguely round-shaped and he pulled it out, brandishing…a tomato…at the Thief. The Moonlit Thief stared blankly while Antonio flushed, hastily putting the tomato away. He had forgotten that he had even had it in the first place; Emma must have placed it in his pocket, knowing that he would be wanting to eat something later that night. Antonio really couldn't have picked a better wife, but sometimes her niceness tended to mess thing up for him. Antonio couldn't believe he pulled a _tomato_ of all things on the infamous Thief! What was he going to do, stain the Thief's costume? To his surprise, the Thief started chuckling.

"I don't think anyone's ever tried to arrest me with a freaking tomato before," he said to the officer. "I guess that makes you a Tomato-Cop Bastard." Antonio frowned at his word choice.

"I wouldn't say that."

"I would," the Thief continued, obviously still amused over Antonio's misstep. He walked further towards the edge when it seemed that he thought of something. "Oh." The Thief dug around in his pocket before pulling out a ruby the size of Antonio's fist. "Here, I think you're looking for this." The Thief casually tossed the ruby over to a panicked Antonio. Antonio grabbed the ruby before it could break on the roof and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you would like that," the Thief said, this time much closer to Antonio than before. When Antonio looked up from where he was still crouching on the roof after his mad grab, he saw that the Thief was right above him, leaning casually so that Antonio had to look up to see him. The shadows from his hat covered the Thief's face and cast a shadow over Antonio as well. "It's just like that tomato of yours, right bastard?" When he saw Antonio's frown the Thief smiled again, patronizingly. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I don't give very many people nicknames, so you should feel honored. Or are you upset because I didn't call you Tomato-Cop Bastard?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest you right now," Antonio snapped back. He was tired of these games; no wonder the police were so happy all those years ago when the Moonlit Thief had quit thieving, especially if he acted the same way towards them. No one was quite sure why the Thief had stopped years ago and was only just now starting back up again. Antonio wasn't even sure why the Thief looked so young; it was always possible that the Thief had had an apprentice or disciple who was following in his footsteps now, but the Moonlit Thief was also a master of disguise. Said Thief smirked down at the police man still on the ground and tilted his hat. The Moonlit Thief leaned forward and brought out a flower from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Because I'm not done thieving tonight," the Thief practically purred in Antonio's ear. "May I steal your heart?"

Antonio blinked. He stood up carefully, brushing off any dirt that had gotten on his trench coat when he was on the ground. "I'm sorry, but I'm happily married; even if I wasn't, you're a thief and I'm a cop. I don't think it would work out that well for us." The Thief leant back, scowl on his face.

"Like something as simple as 'me being a thief and you being a cop' could really stop us if you really wanted it, dammit," he scoffed like a petulant child. "And besides, I don't believe you about being 'happily married.'"

"Oh, I am," Antonio said, holding up his hand with his wedding band on it. "See? I have a ring and everything."

"That's not what I meant," the Thief grumbled. At any other time, Antonio would have been amazed at how well he was able to hold a conversation with the Moonlit Thief like this, especially since he was supposed to be trying to capture him. Antonio couldn't help it, though; he had a feeling that under different circumstances, they could have been friends. As it was, for some reason the Thief didn't think he was married; Antonio was only too happy to show that he was wrong.

"Then, what do you mean?"

"I mean, if there's such a thing as someone who is actually happy while being married then I have yet to meet them," the Thief said bitterly. "A marriage is just something that people get into because they think they're_ so_ in love with each other when really it just means that they're stuck with each other. Nothing comes out of it except for fighting, kids, and cheating."

Antonio frowned at the Thief's words. "That's not true. People can be really happy together; I know me and my wife are."

"Sure," the Thief said in a tone that said he didn't believe a word that Antonio was saying. He walked back towards the edge where he prepared to take off into the night. "Keep telling yourself that, Tomato-Cop Bastard. I'll see you again." With that, the Thief was off into the moonlight, Antonio was left with the recovered goods and a new commendation, and his wife was blissfully waiting at home for her husband to come back, none-the-wiser for the conversation that had just occurred.

* * *

><p>Three years had passed since that fateful night. Antonio had steadily made a name for himself as one of the best officers on the force and as one of the only people that could go toe-to-toe with the infamous Moonlit Thief himself. In fact, several times the notices of the Thief's heists were delivered straight to Antonio himself. Antonio always thought that it was a little creepy how the notes would find him at his own house; he wasn't sure how the Thief found out where he lived, and he wasn't sure he <span>wanted<span> to know how.

Antonio was waiting outside by the city center one day, waiting for his wife Emma to show up. Antonio was taking an early lunch and the two had planned to meet up later so that they could spend more time together. Emma never said anything, but Antonio knew that she was starting to get upset that he seemed to be spending more time focused on the Thief than he was on her. Antonio unconsciously thought back to the words that were exchanged that one fateful night. It didn't mean anything, and neither did any of the other many instances of 'friendly' banter that the two got up to. Antonio loved his wife, and while he wasn't sure about how he really felt about the Thief, he knew that it didn't really matter. He would never betray Emma, not as long as they were still married.

Antonio decided to wait next to a water fountain that was one of the focal points about the plaza that he was in. The fountain was really something; it was an intricately carved stone fountain that depicted some major scene from Roman or Greek mythology and was even one of the first things to be stolen by the Moonlit Thief back when he was first starting. Antonio had been in high school at that time and he remembered all of the buzz that had swept through the city at the feat of daring and skill. Antonio still wasn't quite sure what exactly had happened with the fountain but he remembered that, three months later, it was returned without a scratch on it. There was, however, a scandal involving the previous owner of the fountain that led to his arrest later on. Now, though, the fountain belonged to the city as a whole instead of a single wealthy businessman.

As Antonio continued to admire the fountain he couldn't help but overhear the conversations going on around him. One in particular stuck out to him.

"Come on, Lovi! We have to go meet Ludwig now."

"Why do we have to?"

"Silly, he's your fiancé! You're going to get married, soon. You know he just wants to go ahead and make arrangements for the wedding as soon as possible."

"Yeah, yeah, if he's so special then why don't _you_ marry him?"

"Hah ha, he didn't ask me, Fratello. But still, aren't you lucky? In just two months, you're going to be married to one of the richest men in the city!"

"Stupid, money isn't everything. It's definitely not why I'm marrying that Potato-Bastard, either."

"I know, I know. But… Fratello, are you sure you'll be happy with him?"

"What are you asking, all of a sudden? Why would I marry him if I'm miserable? Oh, no, I'll show that bastard…I can _so_ make this marriage work out, too!"

"Of course, Lovino, of course."

"Damn straight; now hurry up or we're going to be late. You know how the stupid Potato-Bastard gets about punctuality. If we're late, I'm so blaming you for it, you know."

"V-ve! Come on, Lovi, we're late!"

Antonio was just listening to their footsteps running off into the distance when a pair of hands reached up and covered Antonio's eyes. "Guess who?" came the soft, tinkling voice. Antonio smiled, taking the hands in his and softly pulling them away from his face and wrapping a hug around his smiling wife.

"Oh, I don't know; maybe it's my most precious wife who is incredibly patient even though I keep coming home late?"

"Good answer," Emma said with a laugh, leading Antonio to their favorite restaurant. Antonio didn't know it, but she had some good news for him.

* * *

><p>Antonio and the Moonlit Thief faced off again several more times over the years. It wasn't until about four years later, after a particularly odd heist, that any and all activity relating to the Moonlit Thief stopped without a trace. The jewel that he had stolen then, the Pandora's Heart, was never returned either. Antonio couldn't just forget about the Thief, especially after the abrupt departure. But, as a cop, he supposed that he was content with knowing that the thefts were stopped permanently this time.<p>

Emma always did wonder, even after the Second Disappearance of the Moonlit Thief, if he and her husband had ever had an affair. Antonio always denied that they did, even when she never asked but that just made her the most suspicious. Why would he deny it so often if there really weren't any feelings on both sides?

Despite this small trouble in their marriage, Antonio and Emma had two beautiful boys, aged three years apart, and they couldn't have been happier.

As for the Moonlit Thief, he finally found what it was he was looking for after all. The jewel was destroyed, and at last his grandfather, and mentor, was avenged. The Thief's identity was never revealed to anyone, even to his own brother and husband. He would still look out on nights where the moon was full and wonder if that stupid Tomato-Cop Bastard ever thought of him the way the Thief thought of Antonio. Then he would scoff, eat a tomato, insult his husband and then get on with his life. He had better things to worry about than some dumb cop that was too brain-dead to take him up on his offer.

Even still, though, the Thief _did_ fail to steal one of the things he had wanted the most in the end. Unfortunately, that item already belonged to a happy woman who had no intention of letting it go, no matter what clever tricks the Thief chose to use. The Thief never thought to long about this, though; he had a reputation to uphold.

The general populace was very saddened to see the great Moonlit Thief go away. No matter how much they pleaded, the Thief never made another appearance again. There were a few copycats, but they were all easily apprehended and caught, only adding to the legend of the Moonlit Thief even more.

Antonio and the Moonlit Thief never crossed paths again…at least, not in their official roles, that is.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Four; Next Up!—Did you know that smoking's bad for you? No, seriously, it is.<em>


	25. Life 25 Smoking Ban

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 25; Smoking Ban  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Activist!Antonio x Smoker!Lovino; Lovino's just trying to have a nice smoke in peace; Antonio wants to stop him.  
><em>_Rating__: I think this is actually rated K. No swearing, no bad themes (except for smoking; but that doesn't really count)… Be still my beating heart (ver. 2)?  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Smoking, the dangers of Second-hand smoking, my bad writing skills, the shortness of this chapter, probably wrong statistics, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Antonio, Gilbert, Francis, mentions of Feliciano and Grandpa Romulus/Vargas.  
><em>_Pairings__: None; I am prepared for your hatred.  
><em>_Word Count__: 1,951.  
><em>_Notes__: This chapter is pretty much exactly what I want to say to smokers who hang around outside of classroom buildings on campus. There are signs up. They're in college, so I assume they can read. What's making them smoke __**right**__ where other people can run into them? (You seriously have no idea how much this annoys me)_

* * *

><p>Lovino was so over school by now.<p>

He had been up at Hetalia University for a couple of months now and already he was starting to think about dropping out. The classes were boring as hell, there was never anything interesting going on, and nobody was interesting to talk to. Pretty much the only reason he had stayed so far was because his stupid little brother would be coming up in a few years and Grandpa Vargas wanted to make sure that Lovino could show him the ropes. Because, you know, that's what older siblings were for; making things easier for their younger siblings so that they wouldn't have to go through the same things that the older siblings had to go through. Well, one of the first things he would tell Feliciano was that the place sucked major balls. Lovino couldn't _wait_ for the next break to go home.

Lovino sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He leant against the main classroom building as he watched the different students go by. If his brother had been there, he would have been hanging out with them. As it was, Lovino was really not much of a people person. His frustration was starting to get to him. The last time that he had smoked had been that morning… Lovino couldn't break his smoking habit, even if he had actually wanted to or tried. Not that he'd want to; Lovino loved the feeling of the smoke running through his veins and he just knew that the image of him smoking made him irresistible to the ladies. Sure, his brother and grandfather had been trying to get him to stop for a while now, but it was no use. Smoking was one of the few ways that he could actually exert control over himself instead of having to listen to what his family wanted.

Decision made, Lovino reached in his back pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He had just lit one up and had taken a long, slow drag when someone came up to him and started scolding him.

"Hey, don't you know you can't smoke here?" the man said sternly, pointing to a sign that stood a couple of feet away saying 'no smoking'. Like anyone actually listened to that. "This _is_ a smoke-free campus, you know." Lovino glanced at the sign and glared at the man.

"So? It's not like I'm hurting anyone," Lovino said, taking another drag on the cigarette. "And anyway, everyone else is doing it, too." The man narrowed his eyes, unknowingly making himself seem scary. Not that Lovino thought he was scary, though. Hell no.

"So you've never heard of second-hand smoke?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know how many people die a year, just from second-hand smoke? _More than people who actually smoke, that's what!_ Or are you just okay with killing innocent people by your nasty, disgusting habit?" The man had raised his voice when he talked, no doubt so that a few of the other people smoking around the classroom building could hear. A few shuffled guiltily and quickly put out their cigarettes, walking away as fast as they could. A few others just looked at the man in annoyance like how Lovino was doing.

Well, Lovino _did_ feel a little guilty. He didn't want to be the cause of someone else's death… but then again, was that statistic even accurate? What did this man even know about second-hand smoke anyway? Lovino hated people who thought they knew what was best for you and told you what to do all the time. He got that enough from his family, thank you very much. The guy probably was just one of those activists or something; Lovino told the man that, not expecting to see his jaw clench with emotion.

"My friend…" the man said, narrowing his green eyes even further. "My best friend smokes. Because of this, my _other_ best friend ended up dying from second-hand smoke. Don't you tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about."

Well, shit. Now Lovino felt all kinds of guilty. But still, how was he supposed to know that his friend had died like that? It was totally that guy's fault for assuming that Lovino actually knew… and gave a damn!

The man sighed, looking like he had calmed down some. "Look, I don't care if you smoke; that's up to you what you want to do with your own health. But for everyone else's sake, don't smoke around public buildings, and especially not when those public buildings are on a smoke-free campus like this. It's not fair to everyone around you, and it can really damage their health."

Lovino looked at his cigarette awkwardly before stamping it out underfoot. "Whatever," he muttered, looking over to the side. "I didn't do that because of what you said; I was just tired of smoking, that's all." The man smiled and walked away. Lovino watched him go, tempted to smoke another cigarette just because he said not to. But then he saw a group of girls walking by, laughing with each other at some inside-joke or another. Lovino remembered what the man had said about his friend dying because of second-hand smoke… his hand left his pocket and he walked away. He didn't _really_ need to smoke, anyway. Besides, smoking because it was 'cool' just made him a poser, anyway. He could find some other way to stick it to his family, he was sure of it.

Maybe this campus wasn't so bad, if it had people like that one guy who cared about others like that. He would have to tell Feliciano and Grandpa Vargas later.

* * *

><p>Antonio walked away, knowing that he had done a good deed. He smiled to himself, happy that he could have made a difference in someone's life. It may have been too late to save Francis, but Antonio was still determined to help everyone else. Antonio walked past the large clock tower that was in the middle of the university campus and checked his wristwatch. The clock tower was notorious for being faulty; the time was always wrong, and nobody was sure which time zone it used. But judging by the time on his watch, he was running late for meeting up with Gilbert. Antonio still hadn't really forgiven Gilbert for sort-of killing Francis with his smoking, but they were still friends. Antonio and Gilbert were actually supposed to meet up so that they could get something to eat later, but Antonio had been sidetracked by that one guy smoking next to a non-smoking sign.<p>

How disrespectful could you get?

Well, Antonio had straightened that guy out. He didn't know, of course, if the guy would actually listen to him or not, but at least Antonio had planted the idea in his mind. What the guy did or not wasn't up to Antonio anymore.

Antonio walked around a group of co-eds towards the dining pavilion he saw his friend waiting for him. Antonio smiled when he saw Gilbert waving towards him. He hurried over and took his seat at the table, looking straight at Gilbert.

"Ah, _Cher Anton_, how good of you to join us. I thought for sure that you were boycotting Gilbert now."

"Hey, Gilbert, how's it going?" Antonio asked, ignoring the strange voice that floated through their conversation. It was almost like Francis was still with them… But only almost. No matter how much Antonio missed him, Francis would never come back.

For some reason, Gilbert looked amused as he looked back and forth between Antonio and an empty chair. If Francis had still been around, he would have been sitting there.

"Oh, you know. Enjoying not being dead and all," Gilbert said easily. Antonio got the feeling he was missing something, but he didn't know what it was. Gilbert was just strange like that. He had actually gotten a little weirder after Francis' death; Antonio took this as Gilbert's way of dealing with his guilt and grief. After all, Gilbert didn't smoke so much anymore.

"Will you both stop that! I'm still alive, you know!"

Yeah, it was almost like Francis was still with them.

"Gilbert, if you don't stop smoking I swear to God I will smack you down! He'll only stop pretending I'm dead if you quit; don't you feel even a little guilty that he thinks you're the one who killed me?"

"But this is so fun~!" Gilbert said randomly. Antonio looked up to the vast, blue sky above them.

"I wish Francis was still here; he'd enjoy a nice, quiet day like today."

"I'm not dead, darn you!"

* * *

><p>Lovino and Antonio never met each other again. Hetalia University was a large campus, so it wasn't that surprising. Lovino eventually did quit smoking, though he would never tell anyone why. Just, 'he felt like a change'. As for Antonio, apparently Francis somehow came back to life. Coincidentally, Gilbert also quit smoking at around the same time.<p>

Strange how life happens, eh?

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Five; Next Up—We're going to be taking a short break for a while… (chapter will be up on Saturday)<em>


	26. End of Cycle One

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: End of Cycle One  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Romano and Spain take a break to learn more about their situation from a very talkative Erstrick. What have they gotten themselves into?  
><em>_Rating__: T language  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: This chapter strays from the usual form of the chapters so far; this is explained in story. Also, there's my bad writing skills that you have to put up with… yeah. I think that's it. Also, return of the OC!  
><em>_Characters__: Spain, Romano, Erstrick, mentions of England, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Prussia and France.  
><em>_Pairings__: Spain/Romano, as well as a few others from previous chapters.  
><em>_Word Count__: 7,855.  
><em>_Notes__: This is pretty much an info-dump chapter. If there is anything confusing that you don't get, please ask me about it. The only one, other than myself, who has read part of this chapter so far is my sister (because we live in the same house) and she already knows my plot, so I'm not sure she's very objective. Have fun guessing about Erstrick! (Is such a terrible (person) author) XD_

_Also, on another note a good portion of this chapter was written in one day, so I'm sorry if parts seem a bit rushed. Why's that? Because the tree in front of my house decided that 'no, I don't really need this large series of tree limbs on this one side, I want to be MINAMALISTIC!' so I had to help with the cleanup of that. While my house is going through remodeling. Why does everything happen at once, again?_

* * *

><p>Romano woke up groggily, groaning as he opened his eyes into the bleary darkness. There was a faint light ahead of him and he could hear someone—or something—moving around up ahead. Romano had no idea where he was; he looked around him and saw, from the dim light that reached over to where he was, that he was in some kind of cave. A faint wind blew past Romano, ruffling his bangs as it headed towards the light.<p>

Where was he? The last thing that Romano remembered… he and Spain were on a hillside together. It was after a World Conference™ and they were spending some much needed time together. Romano tried to remember through the haze in his mind; he wasn't sure if it was because he had been lying on the hard ground or not, but his head was aching. The pounding headache wasn't making remembering any easier. He was with Spain on the hill…

Spain!

Romano sat up right quickly, ignoring the pounding behind his eyes. As coherently as he could, he looked around him to find his lover. Romano breathed a sigh a relief when he saw that Spain was lying next to him, still unconscious to the world. Romano looked uneasily over towards the sounds that were starting to grow louder and a bit more frenzied. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why. Romano gently nudged Spain's shoulder, hoping to wake him up. Spain twitched a little but stayed unconscious. If Romano didn't know any better, he would say that Spain was asleep. He stole another look towards the direction of the noise and started shaking Spain's shoulder in a more and more frenzied way.

"Spain, wake up!" he hissed under his breath. Spain jolted awake, looking around dazedly. Romano couldn't help the fond feeling he had when he saw this, but he still knew that they needed to get moving. While Romano was taking a moment to try and figure out what they would do next, Spain was admiring Romano.

"Hey, Romano," he said in a weird voice. Spain grimaced; he mouth tasted like cotton. How long had he been asleep for? "If I could wake up to you like this all the time, I'd be a happy man."

Romano stilled. That sounded familiar. That sounded really, really familiar. Catches of a memory came to him—a promise to be together always; forever happy; someone who said they could make it happen… Romano didn't notice that Spain was leaning closer to him looking slightly worried until he felt the other Nation's hand on his forehead. Romano's face flushed, still not quite that used to being this close to Spain.

"Are you okay, Roma? You looked like you were in a daze or something." Just like that, the snatches of memory that Romano had flew away. He had a feeling they would be back, though, so he didn't get too angry at Spain. Instead, he just frowned like usual and slapped Spain's hand away hard enough to ruffle paper.

"I-I'm fine, bastard," he said, slowly standing up. His head wasn't hurting so much anymore but he still felt a little dizzy when he stood up fully. Spain stood up with Romano but it didn't look like he was having any troubles concentrating like how the Italian was. That was so unfair. Romano pouted as Spain steadied him.

"Hey Roma?" Spain asked, thankfully not saying anything about Romano's little weak spell. Romano glanced at him, giving Spain his partial attention while he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. "Where are we?" That was a very good question. Romano looked around again and was surprised to see that the light was starting to get brighter. Now he could make out that they were close to a wall of the cave and that the area was much bigger than he had originally thought.

Romano and Spain were currently on a wide ledge that overlooked a deep chasm. Romano couldn't see a bottom, and he wasn't so sure that there was one. Everything that had happened to him and Spain recently had been so surreal, it somehow made sense that the chasm was actually bottomless. There was smoke or fog or something similar swirling around in the chasm, so it was easy enough to believe such a thing. Stretching over the chasm was a stone archway that made a bridge over to the other side. As the light cleared and Romano's eyes adjusted to the new lighting he saw that the other side was bigger, looking more and more like a separate room in the cavern. Romano squinted, seeing that there was a figure moving on the other side of the chasm. It was the figure that had been making the noises from earlier; Romano had a feeling that he recognized the figure from somewhere.

"Who's that?" Spain asked again, having caught sight of the figure at the same time as Romano. Romano had no answer. The stared at the figure as it moved around an area that was steadily starting to take shape. Romano and Spain exchanged looks before slowly heading towards the bridge. As they moved closer, Romano could make out more and more detail. The other side of the cavern was slowly being turned into a comfortable looking room with a kitchenette, a low table with cushions on the floor, a sofa and loveseat, and for some reason a large set of shelves with various odd assortments of antiques, trinkets and knick-knacks. As Romano and Spain approached, they heard a voice coming from the figure.

"Where is that tea?" the figure said. "I know it's around here somewhere. I need that tea! Why is the tea missing?" The figure kept muttering these phrases to himself over and over again agitatedly. "Always gone…" Romano and Spain exchanged looks again.

"What a strange person!" Spain said with a cheerful smile. He didn't know where he or Romano were, or if they were even in danger. But he also had a feeling that the guy in front of them wasn't actually bad. He seemed a little funny, but Spain didn't actually sense any malicious intent from him. Romano elbowed him in the side, giving him a weird look.

"Dumbass!" he snapped. "We don't even know where we are, or even who he is! What if he's some crazy person who kidnapped us and brought us here for reasons unknown? Did you ever think of that, damn it?" Ah, Roma. Ever the pessimist.

"Don't worry; if I had wanted to kill you, I could have done that a _long_ time ago," the man said as he finally settled on coffee and hot coco. Romano and Spain froze, not liking the sound of what he was saying. The man turned to look at them with a raised eyebrow and an amused look on his face. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already? It's only been, what, twenty-five lives so far?"

With just those words, the images and memories that had been floating around behind Romano's and Spain's eyes came forward all at once. They were on a hill. Then they were in a tower with lightning all around. Then they were…cats? Then they were on the high seas. Then they were superstars and in the music business a couple of times. Then they were on a farm looking at a tractor. Then Romano was a woman for some reason and was being questioned by Spain who was a cop. Then they were high schoolers for a couple of times as well. Then they were at a petting zoo and Romano was trying to attract Spain's attention away from Austria. Then Romano was a girl again and was casting Spain's really weird wishes. Then they were teenage counselors at a camp. Then _Spain_ was a woman, and a princess, and Romano was an adventurer and they were at a fair. Then Spain was trying to flirt with Romano by using really, really bad pick-up lines. Then Spain was a woman again and Romano was going into space. Then Romano was a thief and he was teaching Spain how to pick-pocket. Then they were both girls and Spain was going to marry someone else while Romano (Roman_a_?) was left by himself. Herself? Then they were students at Hogwarts of all places. Then they were at an old house that Romano was haunting while Spain tried to survive the night. Then they met up again when one of them was singing while the other spent their time looking for the singer. Then Romano was being stalked and Spain fell more and more in love with the man he was supposed to protect. Then Spain was dying and Romano had to say goodbye. Then Spain was a cop again, and he was chasing after Romano who was an infamous jewel thief. And finally, they were students at a campus and Spain was telling Romano about how he shouldn't smoke anymore.

All of this flowed through their eyes in a matter of seconds. All twenty-five lives, all at once. But as the man stared at them patiently, a slight smile on his face, one life in particular stuck out to Romano—the very first one where he and Spain had made that wish, and the strange man who had said that he could accomplish their wish. The man standing in front of them was Erstrick. Erstrick grinned wildly when he saw the recognition in their eyes.

"So you do remember me," Erstrick said happily. He made a strange gesture and next thing that either Spain or Romano knew they were both sitting at the table with cups of coffee in front of them. Erstrick was also seated at the table, a cup of hot chocolate in front of himself. Erstrick took a sip of his drink, sighing happily as he set it down again. "So, how do the two of you like my gift?"

"Your gift?" Spain asked curiously as Romano poked his coffee cup, almost as if he was afraid that it would explode. "You mean the memories that we just had were true? We really did live out all those lives?"

"Didn't you just see a montage in your mind? Of course they were true!" Erstrick exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Why would I go to all this trouble if they weren't true? No, no, no, I'm having much too much fun with this for me to not go all the way."

"Yeah, well some of those lives," said Romano, "were bogus. We didn't even end up together in some of them! Wasn't the point of this whole thing supposed to be that we _would_ get together?"

"Yeah!" Spain agreed, giving Erstrick a stern look. Erstrick merely looked bored as he watched them.

"No, your wish was to 'spend one-hundred lifetimes together'," he explained, swirling his drink around with a spoon that he pulled out of nowhere. "Whether you liked it or not, did you not 'spend those lives together'? 'Together' doesn't necessarily mean that you'll end up in a relationship with each other. It just means that you'll be by each other's side."

"Well, that last life doesn't even count then," Romano said petulantly as he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "We met for like, ten minutes or something and then we never saw each other again! What's that about?"

"Though, it was kind of funny that I kept pretending that France was dead because of Prussia," Spain said thoughtfully. He recoiled when Romano hit him in the stomach.

"Idiot!" he hissed. "Focus on what's important here!"

"And, that is…?" Erstrick asked idly, taking another drink from his hot chocolate.

"Make it so that we end up together, dammit!" Romano exclaimed, not quite believing that he had to spell this out in the first place. He thought it should have been obvious. "And not in some sad scenario, either. I want to be happy, dammit!"

"You know, I can't actually control what goes on in your lives," Erstrick said amusedly. "What happens is entirely up to the two of you. I just drop you into a scenario, or a template if you will, and then I let the two of you take control. If I had to do everything, well; let's just say, you don't _want_ me to do everything."

Romano frowned, not quite getting the explanation. Spain was also trying to understand, but everything seemed too technical for him. All he really got was that he and Romano had to work themselves to make their lives be happy.

"Is that why, even though we were all really happy in that one life," Spain asked slowly, "I still ended up with cancer and died? Because it was just a part of life that happens sometimes and you can't really control it?"

"Exactly!" Erstrick said happily. Romano frowned, edging closer to Spain.

"I didn't like that life," he muttered. Spain smiled gently down at him and wrapped Romano in his arms.

"Hey, at least we were able to see each other again," he whispered in Romano's ear. Romano pouted some more, but he had to admit that that was true.

"So, are there any other questions or complaints you have for me?" Erstrick asked, ruining the cute moment between them. His sister would _so_ pay him back for that later…

"Yeah, actually," Romano said, straightening in his seat once again, though there was a light blush on his face. "Where are we? And why are we here, and not living out one of our lives? Or is this a life? If so, this is a really crappy one and I want a refund." Erstrick laughed uproariously at that, slamming his hand on the table a few times.

"You're funny, you know that kid?" he said after he had calmed down again. Spain was sitting nervously, not sure he really wanted himself or Romano to be around this strange man anymore. He seemed like a loose cannon, and those were never good. "No, of course this isn't one of your lives; I'm not that cheap, and anyway my sister and the audience would riot if it was."

"Your sister?" Spain asked curiously.

"What audience?" Romano demanded in a panicked voice. Erstrick smiled a strained smile, looking a little awkward.

"Well, you see, this whole thing is pretty much a present for my sister, Vole," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He looked to the side so that he wouldn't have to face the two directly. "It's a long story why; pretty much the rest of my family and a few other people found out, so they're watching you all as I give you your wish."

Romano paled at the thought that there were people watching him and Spain like that. He knew that privacy was usually hard to come by, but this was a little much! "Oh God, why are they watching? Are they watching right now?"

"Eh, probably," Erstrick shrugged. "As for why, it's because you both entertain them! If it makes you feel better, they're rooting for you two to get together, so that's incentive for me to try and make your lives end better, don't you think?"

Romano was still in shock, so he didn't say anything. Spain however was curious. "Are they just watching? And when you said that it was your family, does that mean that they're gods too?"

"Exactly, Spain!" Erstrick exclaimed, getting excited for some reason. "Though, I won't get into that just now. They're just like me, but we're not quite the 'gods' that you think we are. Actually, we're a little like you and Romano; that's the only hint your getting, though! Well, unless you're smart enough to catch the other clues."

"O…kay?" Spain was really unsure about how he felt about this guy. He was so confusing, and it felt like he went on tangents a lot. He also reminded Spain of Prussia a little, since they both liked to mess with others for their own amusement. He also seemed a bit like Romania, but Spain hadn't the faintest clue why… What were they even talking about in the first place again?

"Also, sometimes the audience likes to suggest lives for me to use," Erstrick continued on, not noticing that Spain and Romano weren't really listening that much anymore. "For instance, that time when you went back to Hogwarts? That was their doing. Personally, I wanted to stay away from the cliché 'I'm placing you in another, familiar setting that's pretty much a parody or crossover of something else' since I wanted something a little more _original_ for you guys, but I caved. Those can be fun, too."

"I bet England was happy about that one," Spain said thoughtfully. "That guy always did like magic and other weird stuff like that."

"Whatever, that still doesn't tell us where we are or why we're here!" Romano snapped. "You said that this wasn't one of our lives, so what is this place?"

"Oh Romano, always so impatient," Erstrick said sadly, looking down in mock sorrow. "This right here? Where we are now? This is what I like to call my hangout, though for our purposes let's call it limbo, shall we?"

"Limbo?" Spain questioned.

"Well, it's no party game, I'll tell you that," Erstrick said as he threw his cup past Spain and Romano and into the chasm. Spain and Romano hurriedly ducked out of the way and looked behind them, almost expecting to hear the sound of porcelain breaking. Nothing happened. They turned around just in time to see that behind Erstrick a brand new cup appeared on the antiques display case. "You see," Erstrick continued as if nothing had happened, "it takes a lot of energy, even for me, to take the two of you from one life and then bring you over to another. That's not even counting that I'm doing this a hundred times for you. So, about every quarter or twenty-five lives—about four cycles in all—I'll bring you here so I can recharge. Kind of makes me sound like a battery, doesn't it?"

"A very odd battery," Romano muttered under his breath. Erstrick had seemed a little normal there for a while, but now he was just getting a little crazy.

"So, this is like a break in between lives or something?" Spain questioned, ignoring Romano's comment.

"Yep. If you have any questions or anything about any of your lives that you just had, then you can ask me. I might know," Erstrick said before pausing thoughtfully. "Then again, I might not."

"What happened after Romano came back from space?" Spain asked eagerly, leaning against the table in front of him.

"What?" Romano and Erstrick asked at the same time, though in differing tones.

"Well, I don't really remember all of that life really well," Spain explained. "I mean, I remember Romano leaving, and then I came up because I wanted to tell him something really, really important but I didn't get the chance. Instead, I told him I'd tell him whenever he came back, and I remember waiting a little after that and greeting him when he finally came back but I can't really remember what it was that I wanted to say. I know we were happy in the end, but I forget the details."

"Oh, that," said Erstrick. "Want to see what happened?"

"Sure!" Spain exclaimed. Romano regarded Spain in amusement, loving the other's enthusiasm. He didn't want to say anything, but he was curious about that, too. All he really remembered was that he was in love with Fem!Spain, but he didn't think he had a chance with her. It would be nice, in a way, to hear what she finally had to say.

"Well, wait just a moment," Erstrick leapt to his feet and hurried over to his cabinet of knick-knacks and trinkets. He started rummaging around through them, even throwing a few away or knocking them down accidentally but the trinkets and knick-knacks always returned to their original positions. Finally, Erstrick found what it was that he was looking for and gave a triumphant laugh. He turned around and set a rather large mirror on the table, propping it up so it stood on its side with a couple of books acting as support.

"We can watch what happened here," he said. "The lives have already been recorded, so it's easy enough to play something back."

"Can we catch a glimpse of some of our future lives?" Spain asked curiously as the mirror started to cloud up, images taking shape in the reflection.

"Of course not!" Erstrick looked affronted that Spain would even ask such a thing. "For one, I don't even have all the ideas planned out yet; I'm still missing two lives, but I wouldn't worry too much about that," he said as if Spain and Romano were worried. "For another, what's the point of going through all of these if you don't _live_ a little? That includes not knowing what's going to come up next. Now, watch your life already. Snacks?" Romano and Spain waved off Erstrick, too focused on their past life to really worry about eating at the moment.

* * *

><p><em>Five years later came around faster than Lovino had thought it would. They had managed to set up a starting colony on Mars, though it wouldn't be habitable for people to live in yet for another couple of years. At least Lovino and his team had managed to set the ground work for generations to come.<em>

_He didn't want to sound like he was bragging, but children in the future were so going to learn about him in school. As the Captain and commanding officer of their mission, he was the first person, ever, to walk on Mars. It wasn't quite as cool as Alfred F Jones being the first person to walk on the moon, but it would have to do._

_Now, however, Lovino was waiting for their shuttle to make its final descent. He wondered if there would be a crowd waiting for them at the station, or if it would mostly just be others who worked there. Lovino wondered how Eduard was, and if things were still going strong with him and Ari. For some reason, Lovino had relationships on his mind. It didn't help that two of the people on the mission with him ended up hooking up with each other. Every time he saw them together, it only made him think of Anita._

_How was she after all this time? Did she still think of him? Did she ever end up dating anyone while he was gone? Was she married? Did she have any kids? How did she look after all this time, especially if she had had kids?_

_Did she even still work for the space agency anymore?_

_It was these questions that Lovino found himself thinking of as they made a successful re-entry and landed safely. As he looked out the window at the crowd of workers, reporters, other news people and various others who had just come by to see him (and the rest of his team), Lovino tried to see if there was a special someone in the crowd waiting for him._

_After disembarking and debriefing, Lovino wandered over to the luggage area to pick up his bags. They had left everything on the shuttle because as soon as they landed they were rushed off to give an interview as well as having a debriefing, so this was the first chance that Lovino had of collecting his things. Because he was the Captain, he had had to stay longer to answer more questions about Mars, so by the time he reached the luggage area the rest of his crew had already left. Lovino sighed, stretching his shoulders. It was great to be back, and even better to finally have a break from that crew; don't get him wrong, he and the crew had really bonded after spending three years together on an isolated, otherwise deserted planet where they couldn't get away from each other without leaving the safety of their compound and perhaps dying, but they still got on each other's nerves. The crew was great, but Lovino couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been missing, someone who should have been there from the very beginning._

_Lovino had just thrown his duffle bag over his shoulder when he heard a familiar voice, though it was one that he hadn't heard in a long time._

"_Hey, Lovi. I'm glad you're back."_

_Lovino turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see that Anita herself was still there, no doubt having waited for him to get finished with his meetings before finding him. Lovino felt caught himself staring, something he couldn't help. It may have been five years but Anita hadn't changed as much as Lovino had thought she would. She was still tall, thin, and very, very beautiful. If anything, she had grown more beautiful since Lovino had last seen her. As far as he could tell, the only physical change, other than her beauty growing, was that her hair was longer now. Before, she had kept it cut short so that it was easy to manage but now it looked like it was a lot longer, though it was hard to tell since her hair was tied up. Anita smiled warmly as she walked over to Lovino. He may have been imagining it, but he felt like she was looking him over for changes like how he had been._

"_It's been a long time," she said finally when they were standing face to face. Lovino swallowed, coughing lightly to hide a blush that was threatening to take over his cheeks._

"_Five years," he agreed. "I told you it would be that long; you thought I was paranoid."_

"_I did not!" Anita protested with a smile. They stared at each other for another minute before they headed towards the doors. As good as it was to see Anita again, and Lovino had many questions for her and vice versa, Lovino really needed a good night's sleep, especially after his long flight and interview conferences. Anita walked with him back to the parking lot in silence, at least up until they reached Lovino's truck. She turned to look at him with a strange expression in her eye, one that was almost hidden from Lovino's notice._

"_Hey, Lovino," Anita started in a serious voice. Lovino was surprised that she had said his full name instead of 'Lovi'. "Do you remember, right before you left, that I had something that I wanted to talk to you about?"_

_Lovino froze slightly, trying to look nonchalant. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, had spent __**five years**__ trying to figure out what it could have been that she had wanted to tell him. Now that the time was finally here, he felt a sudden surge of panic. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know any more… and yet he had waited __five years__. Straightening up to full height, he nodded to indicate that he did remember her promise. Anita smiled, if somewhat nervously. That made Lovino worry; what could she have to say that would make her so nervous?_

"_W-well, I wanted to tell you then…and I still mean it now!" she said in a rushed voice, trying to get everything out at once. "I wanted to tell you that I love you, Lovino Vargas. Do you feel the same way about me?"_

_Lovino dropped his duffle bag in shock. Anita started to grow worried, up until Lovino grabbed her and wrapped her in a long overdue hug—that wasn't quite so 'friend-zone'._

"_Idiot," he said softly, endearingly. "Of course I do. I have for a long while, but I thought… well, why would someone like you want someone like me?"_

"_I could probably ask you the same thing, __mi amor__," Anita said with a voice that trembled ever so slightly._

_They pulled away just enough to rest their foreheads against one another, smiling goofily at their great luck and successful declarations of love. Lovino knew that soon he would have to set off again to lead another mission, one that Anita may not be on again, and Anita may be sent somewhere completely on the other side of the galaxy, but they knew at least one undisputed truth in their world—they had each other, and they weren't going to give that up so easily._

* * *

><p>Spain and Romano pulled away from the mirror, feeling just a little choked up. Or maybe that was just Erstrick, who was dramatically, and most likely fakely, wiping away imaginary tears from the side of his face.<p>

"I just love happy endings," he said. Then he paused to consider. "Well, I like any ending that I happen to come up with. Happy, sad, life-affirming, comical, a tear-jerker, something that can teach you a lesson, epic, it doesn't really matter I guess. Glad you liked it, though. I thought it was one of my better ones."

"That's not really saying much," Romano muttered to himself, looking away petulantly. Spain and Erstrick looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean? My lives are awesome!" Erstrick protested. Romano gave him a nasty glare in return.

"I can deal with that last life where we didn't end up together," he began. "That's not actually that bad, since we didn't know each other very well. But what about that one life where we were both women, and I was about to confess to her—him—whatever, but she—he—grah, it's so confusing! This person right here" –Romano jabbed a finger at Spain, who was very startled—"ended up married to someone else! Who was that, anyway?"

"What, the person Spain ended up marrying as a woman?" Erstrick shrugged as if the answer didn't really concern him all that much, though if one looked closely they would have seen a slight interested gleam in his eye. "It was either some random guy that you all don't actually know, or it was that England character that you mentioned earlier, but as a woman. One of the two, I don't really remember that well." Spain sat frozen while Romano blanched at the thought of his lover marrying _England_ of all people.

"I chose England…over Romano?" Spain asked slowly as if the statement didn't compute. "There had to be some mistake, I would never-!"

"Except you did," Erstrick said bluntly. "You thought of Romano's female form as a daughter or sister figure, not as someone that you would have romantic feelings for. As such, you didn't even think that she would like you like that, either. It's one of the pitfalls and risks of living out so many lives like that; you never know what will happen."

"Shouldn't you have warned us about that first?" Romano asked bitterly. Erstrick narrowed his eyes, not liking being talked to like that.

"I did. I believe I asked you if this was really what you both wanted. You said yes. I believe my exact words were 'What I want to know is if the two of you are going to be committed enough to go through one hundred lifetimes together, even if you don't know what will happen? Are you willing to go through anything that life will throw at you?' And the two of you said that you were. It's not my fault that you didn't fully think this out all the way." Erstrick paused and the fire that had grown steadily in his eyes seemed to dim. "But let's not think about that. We still have the rest of our time together, and seventy-five more lives to get through. Let's not dwell on any unpleasantness for right now; after all, the rest of your lives are going to be perfect, right?"

"Hell yeah, they are!" Romano asserted. He probably wouldn't remember anything when he and Spain started their next couple of lives, but he was determined to make sure that they were all happy. Well, maybe not happy per say, since it seemed almost impossible to actually have a perfect, happy life (and if he wanted something like that, then he could just remember that one really nice life that he had with Spain when they were teens). But Romano also was unwilling to settle for anything less than a happily ever after with Spain. He didn't even care that that made him sound really girly just then; after having to be reminded of those past lives where he didn't end up with Spain, he just really needed to be reassured. Maybe he even needed to be held and cuddled, but he wouldn't say any of that out loud.

Spain would just have to be smart enough to figure that out for himself. Luckily, if there was ever anything that Spain was smart enough to know, it was when Romano needed some personal attention. He gave it to the Italian even when he didn't need it. Spain pulled Romano over by his side and wrapped an arm comfortingly around his shoulders. Everything was going rather nice until Erstrick snorted out loud.

"I swear, I should probably just count this as one of your lives since you're both so lovey-dovey with each other." Erstrick took in the two Nation's glares and smiled. "I won't do that; I'd get yelled at. Also, it wouldn't help the two of you, would it?" Erstrick clearly wasn't interested, or waiting, for an answer. "Well, my power's almost 'charged' back up. Is there anything else that you want to know?"

Spain and Romano were starting to get anxious about leaving Erstrick's presence, but they also knew that they wouldn't get this chance again until the next time they ended up over here. Romano flushed when he thought of something, though he looked too embarrassed at first to say anything until Spain prodded him some.

"D-during that one life when Spain was a princess," –Romano had to stifle the giggle and smirk that threatened to overcome him at 'Spain' and 'princess' being in that kind of context- "what happened at the end? Did we win the war, or what?"

"And more importantly, did we end up together?" Spain put forth.

"More important?" Romano questioned incredulously. "How could that be more important than if you had lost the war? If you lost, then you would have ended up married to some bastard who just wanted to use you for your land! France probably would have ended up killed, if he wasn't put in some position where he had no power. How could us ending up together not be as important as that?"

"Don't be so upset," Erstrick told Spain who looked like he was going to start pouting. "Romano's just upset because if you lost then you would end up married to someone else. I don't think he likes that idea very much." Spain brightened up considerably while Romano blushed at being caught like that.

"Look, are you going to tell us or not?" he asked petulantly, pouting like a child. Erstrick smiled; Romano had the feeling that he was enjoying himself a lot more than he should have been.

"Well, since it was a while ago, let me check my notes," he said, pulling several pieces of paper and a pair of reading glasses out of nowhere. He set the glasses on the end of his nose while he shuffled through the papers, muttering to himself.

"Let's see here…not this one… I don't think we got to here yet; I don't remember ice cream being involved… Ah, here we go!" Erstrick shouted in glee, smacking a particular piece of paper on the table. Romano tried to read the writing that was covering the paper but couldn't make out anything. It looked like shorthand mixed with pictograms mixed with varying languages that Romano wasn't sure he recognized entirely; he thought he saw French as well as Old Norse, but there were a few others that looked a bit tribal to him. He also thought he recognized a blend of Latin and Greek, but before he could try to decipher anything Erstrick started talking again.

"I won't waste time showing you the mirror again." As he said this, Erstrick chucked the mirror and books that were propping it up past Spain and Romano into the chasm where they ended up reappearing on his antiques shelf again. "So instead I'll read you just the basics. Let's see, Spain, your armies ended up winning after all. Romano also ended up finding the treasure that he was looking for, and when he presented it to you he also suggested marriage. You said something along the lines of you were about to threaten him with banishment from the kingdom if he hadn't proposed when he did. The two of you were married, happy bliss, and then you had 2.5 kids and lived happily ever after. Kind of anti-climatic when I say it like that, huh?"

"T-two point five kids?" Romano stuttered, blushing furiously. Spain was also blushing, but he had a happy look on his face as he took Romano's hand in his. "How does that even happen? What, did one come out funny or something?"

"Romano!" Spain admonished. "Don't say that about our kids! I'm sure they were perfect in every way."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Erstrick said dismissively. Spain glared at him but Erstrick didn't seem to notice. "The two of you had only two kids yourselves, but then you adopted. So, technically you had 2.5 kids. Happy?"

"…Yes." Spain said decisively, clutching Romano close to his side. "Especially since we ended up together in this life. There was one where I really thought that we would, but then we didn't. Well, I was already married to Belgium, but…" Spain trailed off when he both saw and felt Romano freeze up in his arms. "Roma? Are you mad at me? I mean, at least I was married to Belgium instead of England, and you like Belgium-"

"That's not it," Romano said in a clipped voice. "I don't care if you were married to Belgium, I'd be jealous of that." He didn't hear Spain whine next to him, he was so focused on his problem. "I just remembered… I was—I was….I was _**married**_ to _**GERMANY**_ of all people and Nations!" Romano shuddered horribly as if he were about to be sick. Erstrick seemed amused as Romano stared beseechingly at him. "Please, please tell me you have a spare rope around here I can hang myself with. Or bleach for my eyes and brain; the images…the images! I can't get them out now!"

"Roma, it's not that bad!" Spain exclaimed, grabbing Romano by the shoulders and shaking him dramatically. "We're still here, together, and you'll never have to be with Germany again!" He sent a fierce glare at Erstrick, much, much fiercer and more powerful than any glare that he had given before. "_Right_, Erstrick?" Erstrick was unmoved and merely shrugged in response.

"Maybe. Like I said, I can't really control these things; it just kind of happens. If it does happen again, which it probably won't," Erstrick was quick to point out when he saw the glares he was getting, "then it's probably going to end up being something inconsequential, like a past romance or something. This whole thing's about the two of you, so you can bet it's going to be about the two of you."

Spain and Romano still seemed a little unconvinced, staring warily at Erstrick. Erstrick sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up into the air.

"This is what happens when I get involved," he complained. "People make up mean stories about me and then nobody wants me around. I'm not a bad guy; I'm actually really nice. See, I'm even doing you both this nice little favor and I'm not even asking anything in return. And how do you repay me?"

"I thought you said you weren't asking for anything in return," Romano pointed out. Erstrick continued on like he hadn't heard him in the first place.

"By glaring at me and accusing me of things that are beyond my control, that's what. Well, if you're so anxious to get to your next life then let me help you." With a snap of his fingers, before Romano or Spain could comprehend what was happening to them or say anything in protest, the two of them were dragged back towards the chasm as if something had a hold on the back of their shirts. They were pulled over the edge and disappeared before they could do more than cry out in surprise.

Erstrick paused for a moment, reveling in the silence once again. The next life wouldn't start right away, the two annoying Nations were out of his hangout, and his family wasn't gate crashing just yet. Even better, he was pretty sure that his sister wouldn't show up until later. For now, he had a moment's peace. He turned to look back at his antiques cabinet where two new spheres that hadn't been there before had appeared. Spain and Romano were safely tucked inside their own sphere, curled up as if sleeping instead of being in suspended animation until they were ready for their next life. It was much easier to deal with them this way, and their individual spheres were lovely to look at. Their striking colors of blue and red along with the smoky essence that surrounded them added a nice contrast the rest of Erstrick's collectables.

"Sleep," he murmured, absentmindedly picking a black feather out of his outfit and setting it on the cabinet. "Sleep, and enjoy this respite until your next lives. I know that some of the past ones weren't quite what you were expecting, but I hope you enjoy your next cycle of events better than your first."

The lights went dim before finally snuffing out entirely. The cave was filled with darkness once again, and the only sound was that of the wind as it made its way gently through the cave.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Six; Next up! It's one for all and all for one in this band of thieves!<em>


	27. Life 26 The Tomato Gang Strikes Again!

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 26; The Tomato Gang Strikes Again!  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Band of Thieves!Antonio x Lovino; Lovino and Antonio have a special meeting they have to attend—one that will decide where they strike next! Also, Lovino's kind of unsure about how he feels towards Antonio; doesn't stop him from wanting a kiss, though.  
><em>_Rating__: T for just because. There might be a swear word, there might not be. There are, however, certain themes that should probably count (guyxguy relationship action, thievery, talk of drugs, etc.)  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Like the rating says, themes, guy on guy relationship action (doesn't go farther than kissing, and never will), my bad writing skills, a probably very awkward romance scene, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Feliciano, Alfred, Kiku, Ludwig, Yao, Ivan, Emma, Lars, Carlos, and an OC, mentions of Grandpa Romulus, Matthew, Gilbert, and Francis.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino  
><em>_Word Count__: 8,268.  
><em>_Notes__: This is another one where I have an idea for a full fic, but then it became shortened for this one chapter. Please regard it kindly. Also, this is kind of one of my first attempts at an actual romance scene, so be warned—it's probably very awkward. Romance just isn't my thing. (Then why are you writing this?)_

_On another note, my computer seems to be literally, physically breaking. I'm going to continue trying to update on schedule, but if something happens where it seems this story's missing a few updates (on Wednesdays or Saturdays, sometimes both) then you know why. I think it'll be okay, though…_

* * *

><p>"Hey, hey," Feliciano whined insistently. "Lovi!" Lovino groaned, trying to block out the sound of his annoying brother. It wasn't working, but when did ignoring Feliciano ever work? Lovino raised his head from where he had been laying it on his arms. They were currently still in school, and Lovino idly wondered how it was that no one ever noticed or complained about Feliciano showing up in his class like this. They were three years apart, making Feliciano a Freshman while Lovino was himself a Junior, almost a Senior in high school. Just one more year to go and then he would be out of there. That was a common mantra that Lovino told himself over and over to get him through the day. It looked like it would need repeating soon since Feliciano was still whining while poking him in the arm, oblivious to the death glare that Lovino was giving him.<p>

"_What_ Feliciano?" he snapped, ignoring the slightly hurt look that he was given in return. Feliciano perked up again soon, though, since he saw that he finally had his big brother's attention after all. Big shocker, someone actually giving Feliciano attention. Quick, call the papers.

"Ve, you'll never guess what I just heard from Kiku!"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "What, that you need to be put on something? Or taken off of something?" Feliciano tilted his head cutely in confusion, something that Lovino thought was highly unfair. Why could his brother pull off something like that when every time Lovino looked confused he just looked like he had swallowed a lemon or something? Whoever said that genetics made you similar to someone else was lying.

"Eh?"

"Oh, never mind," Lovino sighed, resigned that he would have to spend the rest of the break in between classes talking with his brother. "What is it that I'll never guess?" he asked just to humor Feliciano. His brother smiled again as he leaned forward looking very excited.

"Ve, Kiku told me that there's some new gang that moved into the area!" he said with just a bit too much excitement for such a statement. "He said that they call themselves the Tomato Gang, and they're the ones who were doing all those tagging and breaking-and-entering's and a lot more stuff! Isn't that cool?"

"You need to re-think you're definition of 'cool', Feliciano," Lovino told him, staring at his brother blankly. "First off, it's not 'cool' that they're criminals; they could come after us next, you know."

"I never thought of that," Feliciano realized. Lovino shook his head. Why wasn't he surprised, at all?

"Second, what kind of self-respecting group calls themselves the 'Tomato Gang'?" Lovino carried on questioning, already on a roll. He didn't realize that he and his brother were starting to attract attention to their conversation. "That is the stupidest name I've ever heard. Sure, I like tomatoes but I'm not going to _name_ myself after one. That would be like naming _you_ after pasta or something."

"V-ve, well, I guess you have a point," Feliciano said hesitatingly. Lovino stared at him.

"You were wanting to name yourself after pasta, weren't you."

"Ve, I could be Pasta-Man~!" Feliciano exclaimed, standing up suddenly and twirling around with his arms raised high above his head.

"I-idiot, sit down before you hurt yourself!" Lovino snapped, worried that his brother would fall on the floor and get a concussion. He had no idea what would happen if he did, but Lovino knew that it couldn't have been good. Feliciano was already intellectually challenged as it was, so he didn't need a head injury to make him worse. And just his luck, even with witnesses he would still probably be blamed for letting his brother get hurt while he was around.

Feliciano was helped to a seat, stumbling dizzily, by a helpful girl in Lovino's class named Katie. Katie giggled as she leant close to Feliciano. "You know what Feli? I heard that the leader of the Gang, the Tomato Boss, was really, really cute. I know this one girl who saw them once, and she said that the Boss had the most gorgeous brown hair and that he stood with an air of mystery… do you think I have a shot at him?" she asked, winking flirtatiously. _No way_, Lovino thought automatically. _The stupid Tomato Boss would never give you the time of day._ Feliciano giggled as well, saying that everyone had a chance, as long as the police didn't catch him.

Lovino blocked out the rest of the conversation, determined to at least _try_ to get in a nap before the bell rang for class.

* * *

><p>After school, Lovino had to walk home with his brother and his brother's friends. It wasn't because Lovino himself didn't have any friends; if anything, the ones that he would call 'friends' had all graduated by now. Instead, Lovino had to spend time with his brother, which meant that he also had to spend time with his brother's friends. This meant that he was currently walking with his brother, Kiku, stupid Ludwig, that one Russian senior who everyone was too afraid of to not count as a friend, that one Chinese guy, Yao, and the excitable American named Alfred. Alfred and Feliciano seemed like they would make unlikely friends, but they had a lot in common with each other; they were both big eaters, they couldn't sense the mood to save their lives, they weren't exactly the brightest crayons in the box though they did have their moments, and they were both easily excitable and hyperactive.<p>

Yes, this was the group that Lovino usually had to go home with. He stuck towards the back most days when he could help it. Today, the subject on everyone's mind was the Tomato Gang. There were four members as far as anyone could figure out and they all seemed to have their own specialty. Their activities diverged into drugs, street fighting and even a few convenience store heists but mainly their focus was theft. The group started off as pick-pockets but gradually they started stealing from people's houses whenever they could. So far, not a single member has been caught yet, and there have never been any clear photos of them of identification. The group has remained a mystery for months now.

"Can you believe that a group like that is actually still out there working?" Yao said, shivering lightly at the thought. "It's scary to think that people as dangerous as that haven't been caught yet."

"Well, we just have to believe in the officers who are doing everything they can," Kiku replied evenly. "I am sure that if we are just patient enough then their efforts will be rewarded."

"Ve, but how long do we have to wait," Feliciano asked worriedly. He walked closer to Ludwig as if he hoped that the German teen would protect him. "I was really excited at first because I thought they were cool, but now they just seem scary…"

"Don't worry, Feliciano!" Alfred cheered, throwing a fist into the air. "The Hero's on the job, and I won't stop until the baddies are caught!"

"By yourself?" Ludwig asked skeptically. Alfred stared at him blankly for a moment before a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" he said. "You all can be my back up or sidekicks or something and then we can all catch the criminals together! We could be like the neighborhood superheroes or something."

He was given various looks of disbelief until Kiku asked timidly "You mean like sentai rangers?" When he saw Alfred's confused look Kiku blushed slightly. "S-sorry, that was a Japanese term. In English, I believe it translates to something like a heroic team, like the Sailor Moon Scouts, or the Power Rangers that you like." Alfred's eyes lit up.

"Seriously?" he asked in amazement. "Aw _hell_ yeah! Oh, oh! I want to be red! I call being red!"

"What color can I be?" Feliciano asked.

"Feliciano, you can't really be taking this suggestion seriously," Ludwig asked exasperatingly. "You don't see Kiku acting like this."

"May I be white?" Kiku asked Alfred. "I think it suits me better than any of the other colors."

"Forget I said anything," Ludwig groaned, face-palming in exasperation.

"Hm, I also think that this may be a good idea," Ivan said suddenly. The group gave him surprised and startled looks, not quite believing that he was going along with this idea.

"Really?" Yao asked skeptically.

"Of course," Ivan said simply. "There are currently unknown people who are causing trouble in our neighborhood. I do not like this. It messes up the order of things, and it is just mean of them at any rate. Why shouldn't we be the ones to solve this problem?"

"Yeah, I like the way you think," Alfred agreed, nodding his head. "You can be blue."

"Eh? I don't get to choose my own color?" Ivan asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You're my backup, and I'm the hero—I mean leader. So, I get to choose the colors!"

"Kiku got to choose to be white," Yao muttered.

"Yeah, but he's Kiku," Alfred said as if that solved everything. "Yao, you can be yellow. Feliciano, you can be green and Ludwig can be black!"

"Ve, what about my big brother?" Feliciano asked, peeking a glance behind him at where Lovino was walking alone, looking over at the side.

"Hmm, tough choice…" Alfred acknowledged thoughtfully. "Hey, Lovino, what color do you want to be? But it can't be red!"

Lovino, who had been successfully ignoring the group in front of him snapped out of his reverie and blinked in the American's direction. "What do you mean what color?" he asked back.

"Dude, haven't you even been listening to us?" Alfred demanded, coming to a halt. The rest of the group stopped too, since it seemed like they would be there for a while. "We were talking about forming a group to take down the Tomato Gang and we're assigning colors!"

Lovino stared uncomprehendingly at the teens in front of him. "What does choosing colors have to do with crime fighting? What, are you going to color-code them into submission or something? You can't take down a gang like that!" Alfred pouted, not liking being dismissed like that. The others were also somewhat abashed when Lovino put it like that. Lovino snorted and brushed past the group, wanting to get home already. "Whatever, have fun playing your stupid little games. I'll see you at home, Feliciano."

* * *

><p>When Lovino had thought that the Tomato Boss wouldn't give his classmate the time of day, he hadn't been wrong. Mainly because the Tomato Boss was gay, but also because he knew the Tomato Boss—it was his friend Antonio, who so far had never shown much interest in anyone other than Lovino himself. You see, Lovino was <em>in<em> the Tomato Gang—he was the Caped Casanova. Also part of the Gang were The Chocolate Princess and The Muffled Mastermind. To be fair to Lars, he didn't actually choose his name; Antonio did. Emma chose her moniker because she happened to be making some of her famous Belgian chocolate at the time, but Lars had been annoying Antonio because of something or another and the name was chosen. Mostly because Lars always wore his scarf everywhere but Antonio liked to tease the Dutch boy by calling it a muffler instead. The final member of the Gang, who only came around every now and then, was Coca Cabana Hearts On Fire Superstar. Lovino really, really didn't know why Carlos picked that name, but he was kind of weird sometimes. He thought that there might have been ice cream involved in the naming, as well as some of Lars' pot brownies but Lovino digressed. Instead, he referred to their hidden fifth member as C.C.H.O.F.S. for short. The real name was just too embarrassing to say out loud, and by using the initials Lovino could add to the mystery and intrigue surrounding their group. As for the name of the group itself, Antonio was the one to choose it. Pretty much all of the embarrasing names given to them, with the exception of Carlos', were given by Antonio.

So, when he had told Alfred, his brother and the others that the Tomato Gang wasn't going to be taken down just by them picking colors he was right; while Antonio may have been the most absentminded and airheaded person that Lovino knew, excepting his own brother, (the naming thing was proof enough) he was also a force to be reckoned with when he was the Tomato Boss. Lars also helped to make sure that they weren't caught, mostly so that he and his sister wouldn't get in trouble later. Lovino was fast on his feet, so he wasn't really that worried about himself.

All in all, over the past couple of months since they had really started operating the Tomato Gang learned how to not get caught. It was an essential skill, and one that they highly valued among each other.

* * *

><p>Lovino got home before his brother, of course. He knew he would, even if he hadn't broken away from the group when he did; Feliciano liked to linger around his friend's houses before coming home. Grandpa Romulus was most likely still at his office doing work as a senator, so Lovino had the house to himself for another couple of hours. When he got home, Lovino saw that he had a visitor. It was Carlos of all people.<p>

"Hey," Lovino said in surprise as he unlocked the door. "I didn't know you were going to come by; are you helping out again?" Code for _are we going to need you for muscle on a job again?_ Carlos smiled and waved his question away.

"Nah, I'm just here to pick you up for the meeting _chico_," he said easily as he followed Lovino into the house. Lovino rolled his eyes. Every afternoon he always went over to Antonio's house to hang out with his friends. That was what Feliciano and his Grandpa knew about what he did, officially. Unofficially, he went over for daily meetings that were held over at the Boss's house. Even more unofficially, strictly off the record, they went over for snacks and to hang out while they talked about the 'business' and about what jobs they had coming up. Every day, though, Antonio would send one of the members, sometimes even himself, to come and pick Lovino up. Lovino knew that it was because he was still the only one left in school so they were trying to look after him, but it was still annoying having to be babysat and escorted from place to place like some kind of little kid.

"Whatever," Lovino answered. He was in the kitchen now, looking through the refrigerator for something to drink. "Want something?" he offered, feeling like he probably should. Carlos laughed and said that he was doing fine; he had just come back from the ice cream parlor he worked at, so he was doing good. Lovino envied Carlos in the fact that he had such a cool job; Carlos could pretty much have anything he wanted there for practically free, thanks to a very generous employee benefits package. Lovino just wished that he even had a part time job. After selecting tomato juice, Lovino turned around to search for a glass. Today was Wednesday so it was his brother's job to wash the dishes and put them away. That meant that the glasses were in the cabinet closest to the sink instead of next to the refrigerator like how Lovino liked it. So, it was going to be one of those days, was it? He should have guessed as much considering the conversation on the way back from school. Speaking of which…

"Hey," Lovino said as he poured himself a glass of nice, cold tomato juice. "At school today, people were finally starting to talk about us," he said. Carlos smirked as he leaned against the island counter top in the kitchen, highly amused.

"Is that so?" he replied. "It's about time; we've—well, you guys—have been at this for a couple of months now."

"Yeah, but the stupid cops didn't connect everything back to us until recently," Lovino pointed out, putting the jug of tomato juice back into the safe confines of the refrigerator where he could find it again. Lovino didn't like to take chances with his tomato juice. "I think it was only last week or something that they finally figured out that we even have a name."

"Slow, aren't they?" Carlos remarked. "I don't mean to rush you, but you should finish your juice soon so we can head out; I'm pretty sure the others will want to hear more about this." Lovino shrugged before swallowing half of the juice in one gulp. He had figured as much.

* * *

><p>The meetings of their little band of thieves generally took place at Antonio's house since he lived by himself, being twenty two and already having a somewhat stable job besides his 'other' job as well as being the Boss. But the meetings tended to rotate between everyone's houses with the exception of Lovino's; it would have been too tricky and risky if they had had their illegal heist meetings in the same house that a prominent senator lived in, and Feliciano was too nosy for his own business. This time, the meeting was over at Emma's and Lars' house. At first Lovino thought it was a little odd a just a tad creepy that the siblings still lived together, but by now he was used to it. Emma was the spoiled little sister of a very overprotective big brother; consequently, they tended to spend their time together.<p>

Carlos and Lovino reached the house about half an hour or so after Lovino got home from school. Normally he would have taken about fifteen minutes more to get to the meetings, but Lovino had always loved Emma and her cooking. Lovino had a soft spot for women, particularly Emma; she was his closest friend, so he always liked to get to her house early. Emma herself opened the door for them with a somewhat strained smile on her face.

"Oh good, you're both here," she said absently. "They're fighting again, and I don't think they heard the door. Maybe you can stop them?" she asked Lovino pleadingly, something that Lovino could never say no to. Of course, he was usually the only thing that could get those two morons to stop fighting, but that was beside the point. Emma was clearly a damsel in distress, and Lovino lived to prove himself to damsels in distress.

The fact that he was sort of, kind of, not really but still, yeah dating Antonio notwithstanding.

Lovino sighed dramatically as he walked through the door, missing the amused and knowing look shared between Carlos and Emma. He entered the living room where Antonio and Lars were currently having a glaring contest. They were silent for now, but Lovino knew from experience that they were liable to start yelling soon if he didn't do anything. Judging by what Emma had said earlier, they had been yelling and fighting before Lovino even got there. This meant that right now, they were in the eye of the storm, so to speak. Lovino swallowed, not really wanting to get involved. It wasn't that farfetched an idea for them to suddenly turn on him and Lovino did not want that. He knew that Antonio definitely wouldn't want to hurt him, and even Lars would feel somewhat guilty for turning on Lovino like that, but he really didn't want to risk it.

However, Emma had asked him to take care of this. So, Lovino gritted his teeth and cleared his throat, throwing himself on one end of the couch. "So, are you idiots going to just stand there all day glaring at each other or are we going to discuss things?" Like magic Antonio broke his gaze away from Lars and grinned hugely at Lovino before prancing over to sit next to him on the couch.

"Lovi~!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his boyfriend in a hug. "I missed you! How was school today?" It was incredible, really, how much Lovino's presence could change Antonio's whole personality; Lovino himself never noticed this change but others had. Lars sighed, feeling the fight deflate out of him. He sat down in his favorite arm chair and looked towards the entrance to the room for his sister. Emma and Carlos were huddled by the door, peeking in to see if it was safe to come in yet.

"You might want to stay out there for a while," Lars told them. "I have the feeling these two are about to start making out or something."

"No we're not!" Lovino denied, blush covering his entire face. Antonio giggled and cuddled up next to him, enjoying how cute his boyfriend was. "Look, Antonio, will you just get off me already? Aren't we supposed to be having a meeting or something? If not, then I'm going home."

"No, don't go home!" Antonio and Emma exclaimed at the same time. By now Emma and Carlos had made it into the living room and had taken their own seats as well. "You just got here!" Lovino's face was still red and he looked away, muttering. He could never say no to the two of them when they got like that. Lars snorted, lighting up his pipe; Lovino glanced his way for a second. There didn't seem to be any suspicious-looking smoke coming out of it. Emma always hated it when her brother did his drugs in the house, but she couldn't stop him from smoking out-right. It was his house too, after all. Carlos just settled onto another couch, resting with his hands on his knees.

It looked like everyone was ready for the meeting after all.

Antonio looked around and noticed that he didn't have any time to be lovey-dovey with his boyfriend any more. He sighed but straightened up, eyes becoming sharper. "Are we ready for the meeting to begin?"

"Yes, Boss!" Emma cheered happily, her usual smile on her face again. Lars grunted, about as close to agreement as he could get at the present. Carlos nodded with a smile on his face, saying "Yup!" Next was Lovino's turn. Everyone turned to him to see what he would say next. Lovino shrugged, looking away uninterestedly. "I don't really care either way."

"That means yes," Antonio—the Boss—decided. From then on out, until the meeting ended, they would be not just a couple of good friends but also the Tomato Gang. The Caped Casanova really didn't know why they had to be so dramatic about it all, but he was used to it. Maybe even secretly pleased, but he didn't dare say out loud; that would make him sound like such a complete dork.

"Okay, any news that we should know?" the Boss asked around the group. The Caped Casanova felt like this was where he had better explain, or get nagged at later for 'leaving something important out'. The Chocolate Princess may have been the cutest girl that he had ever seen, but she could still nag up a storm. The Casanova tried hard not to make this happen more than necessary.

"Today at school," he started, already feeling everyone's eyes riveted on to him, "my brother came up to me to tell me about the Gang. Apparently the news has already reached the kids there; a few other people were discussing us, too."

A few smirks went around the group.

"Took them long enough," the Muffled Mastermind responded, leaning back into his chair. C.C.H.O.F.S. couldn't help but agree.

"I keep my ears open for news about you guys over at the ice cream parlor," he said. "But I hardly ever actually hear anything; usually just a few rumors or something similar, but never any names."

The Chocolate Princess giggled into a cup of thick, warm hot coco that she had made earlier. "I don't think they even realize that there's a hidden fifth person, either."

"That's why he's 'hidden'," the Boss answered with amusement. "But this is sad; we work hard on what we do, and people still don't really know about us? We'll have to fix that, don't you think?" The way he said this last part, with a sharp smile and a dangerous glint in his eyes made the Caped Casanova suck in his breath and swallow. He had forgotten just how handsome the Boss really was, especially when he was planning another heist like this. Antonio himself was stupidly adorable for so many reasons, but there was just something about the Boss… it almost made the Casanova think that he was dating two different people.

At the mention of another job everyone in the room leaned forward, excitement filling the air. They had been waiting for another job; the last one had been about two weeks ago, the very same one that finally managed to get a blurry picture of the group rushing away from the scene. It was that last job that had finally brought attention to the group. Everyone, both in group and out, had been wondering what the next one would be. They had already broadcast to everyone that they were there; now they needed to send a message that the Gang was there to stay.

"What do you have in mind, Boss?" The Chocolate Princess asked. She was the only one to really call him that, since the Caped Casanova was dating him and that would just be weird, the Mastermind didn't like him that much so he definitely wasn't going to call him 'Boss', and C.C.H.O.F.S. was technically not really part of the Gang so he didn't have to call him that.

It was actually a strange story how Carlos, before he became Coca Cabana Hearts On Fire Superstar, found out about the Gang. When they were first starting out, they were doing well on their own. But then when they were out on the town one night, another gang came after them because of issues with territory. Antonio and Lars were doing okay holding off most of them, but because they were protecting Emma and Lovino they were starting to lose. After one got in a good hit with a broken bottle on Lars, giving him a nasty scar that still hadn't gone away yet, it looked like maybe they had finally bitten of more than they could chew. That was when Carlos, who had always been somewhat of a friend of theirs even before then happened to be passing by; he didn't know what was happening, all he knew was that his friends were getting beat. That was when he stepped in and finished off the rest of the rival gang members. It helped that he was extremely muscular thanks to his years of working with sports and picking fights with Alfred and getting his twin brother Matthew instead, who also took sports—mainly hockey, but also curling so he knew how to use that big stone.

When all was explained out, Carlos hadn't been upset or had even threatened to tell on them; instead, he thought that it sounded like fun and he wanted to join. Of course, he also knew that he had his own job to work with, so he agreed to be something of a 'part-timer', there to help whenever they needed muscle on their side. Luckily things never escalated that bad so that they had to call on him more than two or three times; he still insisted on having a moniker, though.

The Boss leaned forward, rubbing his hands as he did so. "I heard from Frannie that his neighbor was going to be going on vacation soon; I'm thinking we should strike then."

"How soon is soon?" The Muffled Mastermind asked, frowning. "We need to plan this out better, preferably with a more specific timeline in mind other than 'soon'." It was the Mastermind's job to keep things in perspective and to make sure that the plans would work. He refused to work on any job that he didn't know all of the plans and contingencies for, and he wouldn't let his sister work if he didn't work, either. This was for the best, however; on the few plans that the Mastermind didn't agree or work with, something unexpected would usually happen such as a change of guards or tighter security measures which would have rendered the Boss' plan obsolete. The first and only time where the Boss tried to work on a plan with the Casanova by themselves without the Mastermind's agreement, they were almost caught and arrested. The only reason they weren't was because they were able to convince the cops that the reason why they were standing outside of the warehouse was because they were having a romantic meeting there.

Before the planning could go further, though, the Casanova remembered something that happened on the way home for school.

"I just remembered," he said, gaining everyone's attention again. "On my way home, I had to walk with my stupid brother and his friends and they were talking about starting some kind of 'superhero group' to try and bring us down. I doubt they'll be a real threat but we should at least keep them in mind. You know, just in case," he finished lamely, feeling like he had wasted their time.

To the Casanova's surprise, the Boss started chuckling. "Let me guess, it was Alfred who came up with the idea?"

"What gave it away?" the Casanova asked sarcastically.

"What gave it away _Boss_," the Chocolate Princess corrected him, a big sisterly smile on her face.

"Yeah, that guy."

The Boss leant back on the couch, his arm draped across the back behind the Casanova's shoulders casually. The Casanova tried not to sit too stiffly in embarrassment and hoped desperately that his face wasn't as red as he thought it was. Judging by the smirk on the Mastermind's face and the knowing look in the Chocolate Princess's eyes, though, it was. "Francis is talking about that kid all the time; apparently when he grows up, he wants to become the world's hero or something. It sounds like something that he would do."

"Who else is involved with this 'hero brigade', Casanova?" Mastermind asked with smirk on the last word. Casanova scowled; just like how Lars hadn't chosen his name, Lovino didn't choose his own, either. He had been in a good mood one day so he was out flirting with all the pretty girls that he could. This was before he had really come to terms with his feelings for Antonio, so he had been trying to see how he really felt by going after as many women as he could. This included, embarrassingly enough, Emma herself; luckily she was a good sport about it, but her brother and Antonio still liked to tease him about it. That was how he got the name 'Casanova'; as for the 'Caped' part, Lovino had happened to start a debate on whether they should have capes, both matching and not, listing all of the pros and cons.

Sometimes, he hated being the youngest of the group.

"I don't know who else he'll recruit, if anyone," the Casanova replied. "He might want to try to keep it just between himself and the idiots he's managed to rope in with him; when I left, they were discussing colors or something. I didn't really get it."

"That's nice," Mastermind said patiently, "but who else is there?"

"My brother, his two stupid friends Ludwig and Kiku," Casanova listed off, "Alfred of course, that one Chinese guy that hangs around Kiku sometimes, Yao I think, and then that Russian senior Ivan."

"Which one was Ivan again?" C.C.H.O.F.S. asked, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. Technically he didn't even have to come to these meetings but he always liked to know what was going on in case he had to be of use to them. "I graduated two years ago, but I still remember the name. Did he stand out somehow?"

The Casanova snorted in strained amusement. "Yeah, you could say that," he said. "He's as tall as the 'Mastermind' over here, built like a tank and just as strong as one. Add to that he's kind of unstable, and you pretty much know Ivan. Also, he's Russian. In case you wanted to know."

"Ah…" C.C.H.O.F.S. said dryly, scratching the side of his face. "That guy…"

"Either way, I don't think we have to worry about them," the Boss dismissed. "I can just mention them to Francis, if he doesn't come to me and Gilbert first, and then he'll keep me updated. As for the plan, I was thinking that we should hit the house at around eleven at night. Midnight's too obvious."

The Mastermind rolled his eyes but sat up in his chair to listen better. He was already writing down a few careful notes in Dutch, something that only he and his sister would be able to read. It was safer that way, since if any visitors came then they would just think that it was a random list or a note to himself or something. The surrounding neighborhoods were full of people from around the world, so it wasn't that unusual to find books, notes or other pieces of literature in another language in someone's house. As he was writing the Mastermind was nodding along every now and then, evidently okay with the plan so far. "What's next?"

"Well, the Caped Casanova will work on security again and will open the door for us. I'm thinking you should go over to some of the houses around that one as well later, saying that you're campaigning for your grandfather or something," he said to the Casanova. It was unexpected, but being related to a senator was rather beneficial to their line of work. It was Lovino's grandfather who taught him how to pick locks in the first place as well as how to bypass certain security measures; Romulus Vargas was on a committee that oversaw security measures—particularly for houses—so he would bring over fake layouts of houses for his grandsons to try and find the weakness in the security. Feliciano was never that good at it, but Lovino took to zeroing out the weaknesses in security like a natural. Romulus loved to bring back the fake layouts to his meetings where he would show his colleagues how his grandson, who is still in high school, could get around the measures that they were providing. Luckily Romulus thought that his precious grandbabies could do no harm, so he never once suspected that Lovino would use these things for his own purposes.

"After he lets us in, we'll give ourselves…what do you think, ten, fifteen minutes before we leave?" the Boss asked the group. They usually gave themselves a time limit so that they could get in and get out as quickly as possible. He was asking the group, but ultimately the decision went to the Mastermind. The Mastermind considered for a moment.

"Make it seven, but leave room for ten minutes," he finally decided. "I want to see if we can beat our previous record." The Boss smirked again at that, looking dangerous again. The Casanova felt his throat go dry. He determinedly looked over to the side. There would be time after the meeting to ogle his ridiculously hot boyfriend; for now, he had to concentrate.

"Perfect," the Boss said. "Caped Casanova, while you're 'campaigning' over at the house be sure to make a floor plan for us, and note down anything of value."

"Right," the Casanova said, voice sounding slightly squeaky. To his horror and delight, the Boss squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. It sucked sometimes how much the Boss knew about him.

"The lot of us, excluding Coca Cabana Hearts On Fire Superstar," he looked apologetically at C. C. H. O. F. S. who shrugged easily; it didn't seem like they would need him on this particular job, anyway, "will rush in at about… eh, let's make it 11:30, and we'll take what we can. Chocolate Princess, you'll be on lookout duty. Muffled Mastermind, you'll take the upper floors while the Caped Casanova takes the middle ones. I'll go for the lower floors myself."

"Question," Mastermind interrupted. "Do we even know how many floors there _are_ in the house? We need to figure out the floor plans, as well as any other features about the house. We can't really plan well unless we know at least that much."

The Boss glared at the Mastermind, but he had to concede on this point. "Fine," he said finally. "We'll talk about the getaway. I don't think we need a getaway vehicle, depending on what we find. If so, then I'll have Coca Cabana Hearts On Fire Superstar drive around the neighborhood every now and then on that night. Either way, once we're out of the house we scatter-"

"-And meet up back at our house so we can stash the loot, then head our separate ways for the night so no one suspects," Mastermind finished, sounding as if he had heard this same set up before. Which, you know, they all had. The Boss dutifully ignored his henchman and finished up the meeting.

"I think that's it for now," he said as he stretched his arms. "I have to meet up with Frannie and Gilby later, so meeting adjourned."

"Does that mean we can quit using these stupid nicknames?" Lovino questioned. Lars agreed quietly and stood up, heading for the kitchen. Emma laughed quietly to herself before standing up and giving everyone a bright smile.

"I look forward to our next heist, everyone!" she said cheerfully before following her brother out of the room. Carlos stood as well and excused himself, saying that he had to meet someone later as well. Antonio and Lovino were still on the couch when they heard the door shut behind their friend, signaling his leaving. That left Lovino alone with Antonio on the couch, something he was suddenly very aware of.

"I-I should probably go, too," Lovino said into the silence, not looking at Antonio at all. "My brother's probably back, and Grandpa will be home soon…" Great, he was babbling. Lovino couldn't help it, though; he really, really liked Antonio (not love, that could never happen-right?), and he really didn't want to seem like some kind of un-cool fool in front of him. Antonio had always been the popular upperclassman; Lovino was just some little brat that liked to hang around him and usually ended up spouting some kind of abuse. He was kind of surprised that he hadn't been dumped by now…

"Lovino." Antonio's voice, coming from his side, was strong and steady, making Lovino freeze where he was. Steady fingers turned his face towards Antonio's amused one, making Lovino blush furiously. Somehow, Antonio was now just inches away. Lovino gulped. Too close… he was too close! Lovino tried to scramble backwards but ended up running into the arm rest. Antonio leaned over him, smirking as he stroked Lovino's face. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, you know that?"

"Sh-shut up," Lovino replied weakly, closing his eyes as he leant into Antonio's touch.

"Were you impressed earlier?" Antonio asked curiously. Lovino mumbled something under his breath. "Hm? Lovi?"

"I said you always end up impressing me," he mumbled. "Stupid," he added, just so that Antonio knew what he was dealing with. Antonio chuckled, pleased with the praise. He leaned forward even more and closed the gap in between them. The kiss was everything that Lovino had been aching for, hot, passionate, and borderline out of control. The Boss must still have been in Antonio's system then; that was okay. It was all Antonio in the end, and all Lovino really wanted was Antonio.

Before they could do much more than make out for a few seconds they were rudely interrupted by a rough throat clearing from the door way. Lars leant against the doorway, a hand over his eyes as he looked away almost comically.

"If you guys are going to do that, take it somewhere else. Emma likes that couch; she'd hate me if I had to burn it."

Lovino flushed yet again, disentangling his arms from around Antonio's neck; how did that happen? Quicker than Antonio or Lars probably thought he rushed out of the house with a hurried farewell to Emma over his shoulder. Of all the people to catch them like that… well, it could have been worse, he supposed. It could have been Emma, or his brother or Grandfather, or someone else. Lovino still wasn't quite sure how he felt about Antonio. He knew that he liked him, and he knew that they both wanted each other. But other than that… it was all too scary to think about. Apart from that, the only people who actually knew that they were dating were the Tomato Gang, and maybe those two cops who caught them on that one heist once. One of the things that Lovino feared more than his Grandfather finding out about his criminal activities was that he was in a relationship with Antonio. He knew that his Grandfather was rather laidback, but Lovino had a pathological fear of disappointing his grandfather. He didn't know how his grandfather would take it if he found out that Lovino was dating another man…

"Lovi! Lovi, wait up!" Lovino stumbled a little but came to a halt as Antonio ran to catch up with him. The sun setting behind him illuminated Antonio's brown hair in a way that was almost heavenly. Again, Lovino felt that familiar tightness in his chest when he saw his boyfriend. He wondered if it would ever go away; sometimes, he wished it wouldn't.

"Sorry about that back there," Antonio apologized, looking a little embarrassed. "If I had known Lars was there…"

"Whatever," Lovino said. "Don't worry about it." Antonio looked at him for a moment and smiled, reaching out to take his hand.

"How about I walk you home?" Lovino frowned slightly, but let his hand and fingers mold against Antonio's. He couldn't help but feel that his hand fit very well in the older man's hand.

"Aren't you supposed to meet up with those two friends of yours?" he asked as they set off down the sidewalk, Antonio swinging their hands as they went. Antonio shook his head, smile still on his face.

"It's fine, they know that I'll probably be late," he reassured him. "And anyway, we're just going drinking; I don't think they'll care unless I don't show up at all."

Lovino smiled slightly at that. He gripped Antonio's hand tighter, setting off towards home with his boyfriend at his side. Today wasn't so bad, he decided.

* * *

><p>The heist went very well, especially after Lovino's reconnaissance. The Gang did very well for a while for themselves until certain events caused them to take an early retirement. None of the members were ever caught, so the Gang remained something of an Urban Legend for years afterwards. A few people never even believed that they existed. This was just fine for those involved.<p>

It took some persuasion, but after Lovino saw just how much he meant to Antonio he eventually introduced him to his family—as his boyfriend. They had already known Antonio, of course, but this was the first time that they knew of his feelings for Lovino and vice versa…or so Lovino thought. It turned out that Grandpa Romulus had been making a bet with Feliciano on when Lovino would finally bring over his boyfriend. When Lovino expressed shock, Grandpa Romulus brought out his special album where he kept pictures of his own past lovers, some of which had been men. Lovino's mind was blown, especially when Feliciano said, cheerfully at that, that he would have to be next to match his family. Lovino was not amused.

Antonio and Lovino were married, though there was some controversy over their age gap. Antonio told Lovino to ignore the doubters of their love, and Lovino listened. He really didn't care about those creeps, anyways. They live quite comfortably for quite a while, thanks to their past thieving days. Lovino explained their wealth away as part of it being Antonio's inheritance from his own family and the other part coming from his job as a home security contractor. There were several times when Lovino and Antonio were tempted to try to get the team back together, but in the end they decided that the 'simple' life worked best for them.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Seven; Next up!—Bleachtalia!<em>


	28. Life 27 Life in Soul Society

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 27; Life In Soul Society  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Bleachtalia!Antonio x Lovino; Antonio is Captain of Fifth Company, and all he really wants in life is a drink. And Lovino, but that was kind of obvious.  
><em>_Rating__: T for minor language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some language, my bad writing skills, drinking, and I don't really know what else.  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Gilbert, Francis, Elizabeta, Madeline, a few OC's, mentions of Amelia (Fem!America), and Ivan. Also, Aizen.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, some slight Gilbert/Elizabeta or Gilbert/Madeline if you want. Or not. It's up to you, really.(Gotta love the ambiguousness of it all XD)  
><em>_Word Count__: 3,975.  
><em>_Notes__: It's been quite a while since I last read Bleach; I hope it's not too obvious in the chapter. I think that's about it for now._

_This chapter was recomended by someone, but I can't really seem to find who it was right now..._

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><p>Antonio was tired. He had just come back from a training mission with certain members of his company, and all he really wanted to do was get back to his barracks, do some quick paperwork regarding the mission, and then meet his two friends, Captain's Gilbert Beilschmidt and Francis Bonnefoy over at the bar later. Maybe afterward, he could even cuddle up with his lieutenant later. Antonio sighed, trudging along the streets of Seireitei. The mission had gone okay, but then two hollows ended up surprising them on the way back. Luckily none of his men (or women) were hurt too badly, and the hollows were killed but it had still taken a lot out of him. Antonio mused over whether it would be worth visiting Fourth Company to get his wounds taken care of; the Captain of Fourth Company, Madeline Williams, was a nice enough girl but she could get scary if she thought that she wasn't being listened to; her zanpakuto was that of a vicious bear, and that only made her scarier. Pretty much the only people who could handle her were her sister (the Captain of Twelfth Company), and Gilbert and Francis.<p>

Maybe he should bring his friends with him… nah. That seemed kind of lame, having to take your friends with you to get checked out like that. Antonio wasn't a little kid; he was the Captain of the Fifth Company!

Before Antonio knew it, he had reached his barracks. He straightened his stance and turned around to survey his men. They looked a mixture of tired, sore, and a little nervous. Antonio was supposedly infamous for having a scary temper, but he never saw it. At least, Antonio never thought that he actually got very mad a lot. Either way, it looked like his group was afraid that he was going to start yelling at them. Poor guys; they got enough of that from their lieutenant, they didn't need Antonio to start getting upset at them, too. Instead Antonio smiled at them, instantly sending a wave of calm through his men. Amazing how that could happen.

"Good work today, everyone," he said to them. "I know the two hollows weren't expected, but you handled yourselves very well out there. I'm proud of each and every one of you; now, go get some rest! Oh, and if you run into Lieutenant Vargas, tell him that I said you could have the rest of the day off. I'm going to head over to the Soul's Lantern, so if anyone needs me I'll probably be wasted. Try not to need me for the rest of the night, okay?" As expected, his speech elicited laughter from the group in front of him, who entered the barracks in notably higher spirits. "Oh, and if anyone is really injured, they should see Captain Williams right away!" he called back to them as he turned and walked away. Eh, the paperwork could wait; a night of drinking with his friends couldn't. A chorus of 'yes, sir!' followed him down the street. Antonio couldn't help but smile; he loved his company so much. They were the best company out of all thirteen, in his opinion.

When he got to his favorite bar of choice, Gilbert and Francis were already there. Gilbert was the Captain of the Eleventh Company while Francis was Captain of the Eighth. Even though they were from different companies, the three of them were still somehow good friends. Well, _bad_ friends, but it was all the same, really. Francis was the first one to look up when Antonio entered, giving Antonio a once over at his appearance.

"Did you get into another fight with your lieutenant, Antonio?" Francis questioned amusedly. Gilbert looked over and snorted at Antonio's shabby looking robes. Clearly he was unimpressed. Antonio pouted as he took his seat, not liking it when his friends teamed up on him like that.

"No, we ran into a couple of hollows," he said. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"You made Vargas angry enough to sic a couple of hollows on you?"

"This has nothing to do with Lovi!" Antonio snapped. He was starting to get a headache… maybe alcohol would make it better. Antonio ordered his drink in the hopes of proving this theory. "I was on a training mission with a few of my men and we ran into two hollows. One of them had lasers in addition to the usual _cero_."

"Psh, and you let them do _this_ to you?" Gilbert asked incredulously, throwing back his drink and ordering another one. "If it was _me_, I woulda gotten those guys before they even had a chance to make a move. You know, you're kind of lame. Why are we friends again?"

"Because I can fight you toe to toe whenever we both get serious? And I go out drinking with you all the time?"

"Details," Gilbert shrugged off. He leveled Francis, who had been watching the two of them in amusement, a shrewd look. "And you; you're wimpy, why are we friends?"

"Because I make you laugh," Francis said without hesitation. Antonio tuned out the rest of their conversation. His headache was starting to get worse; he must not have had enough alcohol yet. Antonio ordered another drink, this time one that was stronger than his first.

Antonio didn't know how much time had passed since he had started drinking when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Blinking blearily, Antonio struggled to focus his gaze on Francis who was looking at him with slight worry.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice sounding strangely far away. "You don't usually drink this much. I think you've had more than Gilbert by now."

"Bull shit!" Gilbert declared, slamming his drink down on the counter. "I demand a refill; there's no way that this wimp is out drinking Gilbert Fucking Beilschmidt!"

"Ahh, I'm fiiinee," Antonio slurred, ignoring Gilbert. "I jusht have a headache. Alcuho…alcoho…booze will make it all bettterrrr." Francis gave him a stern look.

"You know that doesn't work," he scolded. "Go see Madeline, before I have to call your lieutenant in here to do that for you." Antonio blinked slowly, suddenly feeling like the world was tilting on him.

"Why would Lovi need to go see Captain Williams?"

"Okay, I think you Captains have had enough," the bar tender said suddenly, taking Gilbert's drink away from him. He swiftly did the same for Antonio and Francis as well. Antonio and Gilbert glared balefully while Francis gave a briefly grateful look towards the bar tender.

"It looks like we're no longer needed here," Francis said suddenly. Antonio wondered how it was that out of the three of them, it was Francis who could hold his liquor the best. It was so not fair… "Gilbert, I suggest you leave now before that feisty lieutenant of yours comes and gets you."

"No need for that," a dry voice from behind said. They turned around as best as they could in their various stages of inebriation to see Elizabeta standing in the doorway. Her eyes held distaste for their actions and her nose was wrinkled as if she smelled something unpleasant. "I could smell and hear the three of you all the way from Eleventh Company. Come on Gilbert; let's get you back before I have to _make_ you get back."

"Just you try!" Gilbert demanded, standing up and wobbling slightly where he stood. "I can take you down any day of the week, bitch!" Elizabeta glared full on at his words.

"Careful, _Captain_," she said, sneering the last word. "I would hate to have to get my frying pan out…" She raised her zanpakuto threateningly. Antonio had seen many enemies, and friends, fall to the forces of her weapon; it was strange for a zanpakuto to take the form of something as ordinary as a frying pan, but Elizabeta made it work for her. She wasn't a lieutenant for nothing, especially for the fight-hungry Eleventh Company. She was one of the few people who could actually handle Gilbert when he got into one of his moods. Rumor had it she even took out a whole squad of rogue _Shinigami_ with her bare hands. The bar patrons quickly moved out of the way, not wanting to get in the middle of a conflict with the two unstable members of one of the most unstable companies of the entire Soul Society.

"Elizabeta," Francis said in a warning tone, standing up slowly. "You know it's forbidden to use your zanpakuto like this; Gilbert, you know it too so you shouldn't bring out yours, either!" Gilbert glared from the side, hand resting on the hilt of his own weapon. Francis groaned, running his hand through his hair tiredly. "Look, can the two of you wait to fight until _after_ you get back to your barracks and I get Antonio over to Fourth Company?"

Elizabeta turned her head quickly to where Antonio was slumped against the bar, cradling his head delicately. He wished they would stop shouting…

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows delicately. Gilbert grumbled at being ignored like that. Francis sighed dramatically, patting Antonio on the shoulder. It could have been Antonio's imagination through his alcohol-induced headache, but he could have sworn that Francis was hitting him harder than was really necissary.

"It looks like he just came back from a training mission where they ran into a few unexpected hollows," he told her. "Then the idiot decided that the best way to deal with his headache was to drink as much alcohol as he could." Elizabeta shook her head sadly, having expected something like this. She walked over to Gilbert and threw one of his arms around her shoulders, making him stumble a little and almost lose his balance. Antonio watched idly as they almost fell to the floor. The two of them left as soon as Elizabeta was able to get Gilbert to stand on his feet again. As they left, Antonio could hear Elizabeta scolding Gilbert down the street. Gilbert loudly declared that there would be a training session back at Eleventh as soon as they got back. Antonio pitied the company; even when drunk, or maybe especially when, Gilbert could still beat everyone black and blue. Personally, Antonio thought that if he wanted to get the Captain of Fourth Company's attention then he could do it in a more direct way.

Antonio must have blacked out sometime after Gilbert shouted about how he was going to take on his own company single-handedly. The next thing he noticed, he was being led through the streets, draped on Francis who was stumbling with the dead weight he was being forced to carry.

"Where're we goin'?" he managed to ask his friend. Francis briefly spared a passing glance down at Antonio before he carried on.

"We are going to see Madeline and the rest of Fourth Company," he grunted out at him. Antonio must have been heavier than he thought. He wondered if he should have been insulted. "I'm going to make sure she checks you over to make sure you didn't hurt yourself too badly."

"I'm fiinee," Antonio tried to reassure his friend. He also tried to stand up and walk on his own, but his legs just didn't seem to be working properly. Strange. Francis stumbled a little as he tried to right the two of them. Antonio winced when Francis hit him again for moving around too much. "The hollows weren't _that_ bad."

"Antonio," Francis said in a suddenly serious voice; or maybe it only _sounded_ like he had just gotten serious. "I was talking with Elizabeta and Gilbert in the bar as they were leaving. I turned around just in time to see you slip from your bar stool, hit your head on the bar, then on the chair next to you on the way down, and then finally on the ground. I am _taking_ you to see Madeline _now_. I already sent word to your lieutenant to pick you up there."

Oh. No wonder his head hurt so much. It also explained why there seemed to be blood dripping from his head. Distantly, Antonio thought that he could hear a distant screaming or grumbling coming from where he thought his barracks might have been. It looked like Lovi had just found out. Antonio didn't say anything more as Francis led them to his Goddaughter's Barracks. Madeline herself was waiting outside for them. Antonio wanted to try to give her a smile, but figured that it would be better to just leave the talking to the other two captains.

"What happened to him again?" Madeline asked anxiously, taking Antonio's other arm and helping to lead him inside. She took them to a private examination room, something that Antonio was grateful for. His headache had come back, and it felt like everyone was screaming at him. Or maybe that was just the sound of Lovino coming closer…

"Well, first he was out on a training mission where they ran into a few hollows," Francis explained, helping Antonio down onto the examination table/bed. "He said that the hollows went down okay, but apparently one had a laser." Madeline frowned at that. "Afterwards, he came drinking with me and Gilbert, and decided that the best way to cure his headache was to drink alcohol, and lots of it." Madeline's frown deepened even more. "Then after _that_, he hit his head on the bar, on another stool, and then the floor when he lost his balance." Madeline openly grimaced, looking down at her patient.

"Francis," Antonio whined, clenching his eyes closed tightly against the brightness of the room. "Stop trying to get me killed."

Madeline glared at him, something that Antonio could feel even though he couldn't see it. "You should have come to see me as soon as you got back from your training, Captain Carriedo."

"Heh heh?" Antonio laughed awkwardly. Madeline stared at him sternly, clearly not amused. She pulled out her sword and held it over Antonio, making him start to panic. Madeline held him down with surprisingly strong arms and chanted her sword's name, Kumarie. Almost instantly, Antonio was surrounded by a ball of warm light, that upon closer inspection had the shape of a sleeping bear. Antonio could feel his aches and pains start to fade, including his terrible headache.

"It looks like he had a mild concussion," Madeline told Francis. "It's easy enough to fix, as well as his other problems. It seems like that was the worst of his injuries, though…thank goodness."

"Oh?" Francis asked, looking at Madeline curiously. "You sound strangely relieved, dear." Madeline jolted, straightening her posture as she tried to look calm.

"Shouldn't a physician feel relieved when their patient is going to be fine?" she asked back. Francis continued to give her a level gaze, not fazed at all by her counter question.

"Yes, but I said you were 'strangely' relieved," he told her. "Is something wrong?" Madeline bit her lip, looking over at her patient anxiously.

"…I don't know," she said finally. "I was talking with Captain Commander Braginski earlier about some strange attacks and injuries that a few of the _shinigami_ were experiencing." Madeline paused, adjusting her glasses unconsciously. "I think… Francis, I think something bad's going to happen soon. I was looking over my predecessor's reports, and from what Antonio said about the hollow with the lasers… this is just like something that happened a long time ago. I'm worried," she admitted, tugging lightly at one of her pigtails. Francis frowned, putting a hand comfortingly on Madeline's shoulder.

Antonio didn't really understand any of what they were saying. He could barely hear them in the healing bubble he was in, but it sounded like they were talking about complicated things. His headache was mostly gone now, and all he really wanted right now was to see his lieutenant's blushing face. Almost as soon as he thought that, Lovino himself stormed into the room, throwing the door open.

"You idiot!" he yelled right at Antonio, who couldn't help but smile happily at his lieutenant's worried face. "Don't you smile at me. You were supposed to come straight back to the barracks to report in, and what did you do? You went and got yourself even _more_ beat up going out drinking! What were you thinking?"

"Hey, Lovi," Antonio said, ignoring his lieutenant's question and tirade. "It's great to see you!"

Lovino looked like he was about to yell at Antonio more when Francis spoke up. "And here I thought Antonio was the captain in the relationship," he said amusedly. Lovino stiffened, turning around to face the other two captains in the room with round, shocked eyes. It looked like he hadn't even noticed that they were there. Antonio thought it was so sweet that Lovino only had eyes for him, but he kept his comment to himself; he didn't want Captain Williams to get even _more_ upset by having Antonio get himself re-injured, especially since she was standing right there.

"Uh, oh, um, sorry Captains," Lovino stammered, blushing and looking embarrassed. "I didn't notice that you were there…Um, can I go ahead and take this bastard back to the barracks?" he asked Madeline, since she was technically the one in charge. Madeline smiled and said that Antonio was free to go. She re-sheathed her sword and turned to Antonio with one last piece of advice.

"Oh, and Captain Carriedo?" she said sweetly. Antonio froze where he stood next to Lovino and turned around slowly to face Madeline's smiling, innocent angelic face. "Do be sure to come and see me next time you have an injury…preferably _before_ you get another one, okay?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" he squeaked, hurriedly leading Lovino out of the room. When they were out on the streets again, Antonio sighed in relief. "That captain scares me sometimes, Lovi." When he was met with silence, Antonio looked over to his lieutenant who was looking the other way, a slight pout on his face. "Lovino?"

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Lovino answered him, turning his head around to stare at him with watery eyes. "When I heard that you were injured, and from _Francis_ of all people, how do you think I felt? You were supposed to come straight back after that stupid training mission, but you didn't! And then I find out you were taken to Fourth Company?" Antonio was shocked, and very disturbed and distressed, to hear a choked sob in his lieutenant's voice. "I…I was worried…bastard." Lovino finally whispered, looking away again. Antonio immediately gathered Lovino into his arms, not letting go even as the other weakly struggled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to worry," Antonio whispered into Lovino's ear. "I already had a headache by then, and I knew I really wanted to go ahead and meet Gilbert and Francis at the bar. If I had known…"

"Yeah. Whatever," Lovino mumbled, rubbing his face into Antonio's chest. Antonio stroked Lovino's hair comfortingly, carefully avoiding that one curl that Lovino hated for him to touch. Antonio didn't know if he was forgiven or not, but he tilted Lovino's chin up so that the other had to look into his eyes.

"I really am sorry, Lovino," he said right before he reached down and kissed Lovino lightly on the lips. It could have almost passed as a chaste kiss, except that they both let their lips linger just a little too long for something 'chaste'. Antonio smiled down at Lovino, stroking his beautiful, red cheeks. "Shall we go back, my love?" Lovino nodded, face bright red. Antonio smiled warmly and took his lieutenant's hand, leading them back to their barracks.

* * *

><p>Madeline's prediction turned out to be very true. Aizen's sentence was up, and the man that Soul Society had willingly forgotten about was unleashed upon the world once again—and this time, there wasn't a carrot-topped strawberry to save the day. But, it was okay in the end, because while the old players were no longer in the game there were fresh, new players who were more than willing to prove their worth. The coming of the Second Winter War was full of preparations and declarations of love. Antonio gave his lieutenant the promise that when the war was over, and they were both still alive, he would marry him. Lovino, being a pessimist, didn't quite believe him but when the war <em>was<em> finished, the two ended up happily married. Well, happily on Antonio's end at least. Lovino still grew very frustrated and worried with his captain/husband, but Antonio couldn't have been happier either way. And, well, that was just the way that they wanted it to be.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Eight; Next Up—I'm Kind Of Over Being Kidnapped By Now…<em>


	29. Life 28 Kidnapping Love

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 28; Kidnapping Love  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio x Kidnapped!Lovino; Lovino's just back after being kidnapped. Antonio has some things that he wants to say to him.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some language, my bad writing skills, another awkward love scene, kind of an abrupt ending, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Matthew, Ari, Yong Soo, Natalia, Antonio, Gilbert, Francis, Lukas, Matthias, Tino, Berwald, Ivan, Katyusha, Yao, Ludwig, Feliciano, an OC, mentions of Kiku, Mei (Taiwan), Xiao/Leon, Alfred and Arthur.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Ludwig/Feliciano, maybe slight one-sided Natalia/Ivan.  
><em>_Word Count__: 6,091.  
><em>_Notes__: I really, really like these five (Lovino, Matthew, Ari, Yong Soo, and Natalia) being friends. They are my 5 band. I think they would bond together over being 'forever alone', or so they think. This is another story that I have more ideas for, but it was really this scene that stood out to me. I have another idea, also with this 5 band, but it's not involved here. Just know that I really like these five together~_

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><p>Lovino groaned as he sat back against the wall in the police precinct. He was so over all of this questioning by now. He and the others had been in the police station for hours now, answering questions about their kidnappings. Lovino thought that he spoke for all when he said that they would rather just forget it and move on with their lives. Nothing reasonably bad actually happened to them, you know, other than getting kidnapped in the first place and taken off the street numerous times to be driven away by person's unknown. However, they lived in a community where a majority of the adult population worked for some government facility or something, so their kidnapping was technically a matter of national importance. That meant that they had to be questioned extensively, repeatedly, and by as many different people and government agencies as humanly possible.<p>

Lovino wondered if their families even knew they were okay yet. Ari had asked earlier about that, but all the people in charge would tell them was that they would be notifying their respective families as soon as they could. For all Lovino knew, his brother could still be thinking that he was halfway around the country by now, when really he was just a few streets over from their house. That couldn't have been legal; Natalia would have threatened them with her knife to let her talk to her brother by now, except they were searched earlier and all of her knives were taken away. It was a shame; maybe then things wouldn't have taken so long.

Sighing in frustration, Lovino ran his free hand through his hair. He narrowed his eyes. Lovino looked around the room that he was in again, just because it was something to do other than have to listen to the same bull crap coming out of the agent's mouth again. He as well as the others in his little 'kidnapping group' were in what looked like an interview room at the local police station. There was even the little reflective mirror on one side of the wall. Who knew, maybe their families were watching on the other side. Lovino looked to the side; sitting next to him were Ari Steilsson, Natalia Arlovskaya, Imm Yong Soo, and Matthew Williams. They looked like they were in various stages of boredom mixed with annoyance, from Ari's very mild expression all the way to Natalia's look of murderous intent. Lovino caught Matthew's eye and they shared a look of frustration. They really wanted to get out of there already.

"-so that's what I'm putting down in my report. Mr. Vargas, are you listening?" Lovino glanced over at Agent Freeman, the agent who was apparently put in charge of their case. Lovino heaved a long suffering sigh and turned his head away again.

"Not really. Can we go now?" From the corner of his eye, Lovino saw Agent Freeman's eye twitch. Lovino had to try really, really hard to suppress a smirk at that. He figured, if they were going to be cooped up there feeling frustrated and annoyed, then the Agent might as well suffer alongside them. Yong Soo leant forward in his seat, picking up from Lovino's question.

"Yeah, can we?" he asked, twitching slightly in his seat. Yong Soo hated to have to sit still for long periods of time, so this must have been torture for him. "I want to see Aniki already, and Kiku, and Mei, and Leon-"

"That's Xiao!" a muffled voice called out from beyond the far wall. Yong Soo brightened considerably.

"That was Aniki!" he exclaimed, looking all around him like he thought that Yao might have been hiding somewhere in the room. "He did come for me. That means Aniki doesn't hate me! I'm so happy!" Agent Freeman frowned and leant forward.

"What do you mean, 'it means that he doesn't hate you'?" he asked, using a tone that made it seem like he was on to something. Lovino didn't like that tone; Natalia and Ari exchanged looks, not liking the sound of the tone either. "From what I have seen from this investigation, Mister Wang Yao has been extremely worried about you. Why would you think that he wasn't?"

Yong Soo shrugged, having given up looking for his Aniki for the time being. Since they were all handcuffed to their chairs for some sort of 'safety' reason, it wasn't like he could actually walk around and investigate himself. "Well, the kidnappers said once that everyone here must not like us since there hadn't been any sort of plea for our safety or a reward or anything, so they must not like us."

"Interesting," Agent Freeman said, writing down new notes in his notebook hastily. Lovino groaned; it looked like they would be there longer after all.

Ari sighed, tilting his head back tiredly to look at the ceiling. "Now they're going to think that we were mentally or emotionally abused by the kidnappers. We weren't, just so you know," he said this last part to Agent Freeman, and to anyone else who might have been listening in on the other side of the reflective mirror.

"Look, if I testify and say on record that I've had those sorts of feelings even before we were kidnapped, will you let us go?" Lovino snapped, tired of the charade by now. "You can ask anybody, I hate myself, I've felt this way for a long time, and the kidnappers had nothing to do with how we feel."

"The only contact we really had with them," Matthew spoke up, probably for the first time since they were in the room, "was when they pulled us into the van on our way home from after school tutoring. We managed to escape because they didn't expect Natalia to have a knife, and then we spent the rest of the few days that we were gone running around a city we didn't recognize, trying to avoid the people who were after us. A few…_encounters_ did happen, but we always managed to get away from them just in time. That was when your officer found us at the car wash, actually."

"So you're saying that you felt that you were emotionally abused even _before_ this whole kidnapping bit?" Agent Freeman asked Lovino when he was finished with his notes, not looking like he had even heard Matthew in the first place. Said Canadian glared at the agent but looked down, feeling depressed. It seemed nobody could really hear Matthew when it counted; it was amazing that the kidnappers had even taken him in the first place.

"Hey!" Natalia snapped at Agent Freeman, shocking him and making him turn to face her, startled. "Matthew just told you about our kidnapping, and you aren't even listening to him! Ball-sucker!" Lovino had to smirk to himself. It seemed that the only person who actually swore more than him, and was more random about it, was Natalia. It was weird, because when you first looked at her she didn't even look like someone who would swear like that. Before this whole incident happened, Lovino wouldn't have even thought that someone like her was capable of such a thing—it just showed that you really couldn't judge a book by its cover. Agent Freeman stared at her in shock, not really expecting the added swear to her words. He furrowed his brow and hastily flipped through his notes once again.

"I'm sorry, but there doesn't seem to be any mention of a 'Matthew' involved with this incident," he told them. "Are you sure that he's not just someone that you might have made up, like a friend that you could use to help cope with your situation?" Lovino felt his blood begin to boil, and he was sure that the others did too. It didn't surprise him when Ari finally exploded and started yelling at the agent.

"His name is Matthew Williams, and he's sitting _right there_!" He jabbed a finger with his free hand (the one that wasn't handcuffed to the chair) and pointed at Matthew who was looking a little awkward with the whole situation. "Don't tell me you don't see him, because I know you do!" Agent Freeman did a double take when he finally saw Matthew and openly gaped at him.

"H-how long have you been there?" he finally asked. Yong Soo groaned, slamming his head down on the table.

"Why does everyone keep asking that, da-ze?" he muttered with his head still resting on the table.

Matthew glared coolly at the agent. "I've been here the whole time, just as I was there when you had me fingerprinted along with the others, just as I've been here when you _handcuffed me_ to this _chair_, and just as I've _been here_ the _whole time_ that we were _kidnapped!_" For once, it seemed that Agent Freeman was at a loss for words. As he kept gaping at Matthew and re-checking his notes, Lovino finally spoke up again.

"So, can we go now?"

* * *

><p>"Yay! We're finally out, da-ze!" Yong Soo cheered as he stepped out into the sunlight outside of the police station, stretching his arms wide. "I thought we would never leave."<p>

"Yong Soo, don't go too far away!" Yao warned him, shepherding the rest of his friends after his younger cousin. "If you get yourself kidnapped again…"

"It's not like I _planned_ to be kidnapped!" Ari complained to his brother and his friends. "I'm fine; really, you don't need to keep checking me over for injuries Berwald."

"We can't take chances," Lukas said calmly, looking all around them for potential kidnappers. "Matthias, have you checked the surrounding perimeter?"

"Yep!" Matthias said cheerfully. "Ain't _nothing_ going to get by me! Don't worry, Ari, I won't let anymore kidnappers near you and that fragile little mind of yours."

"I told you before, the kidnappers didn't even do anything!" Tino hurried over to the group, closing a cell phone.

"Okay, I just set up an appointment for Ari to see the psychologist later this week; he'll be meeting with him every Wednesday, is that okay?" he asked Lukas, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Better make it at least twice," Berwald advised. "At least for at first."

"Dammit, I just told you guys that nothing happened!" Ari snapped, feeling very embarrassed. Lovino was impressed; he thought that only _he_ could actually get to that shade of red. "I'm not even a _little_ bit traumatized!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Matthias said distractedly as he dug around in his coat pocket, not really sounding like he believed the younger teen. Matthias's face lit up when he found what he was looking for, a doll for some strange reason. "Okay, Ari; I need you to be truthful here. Where on the doll did they touch you?"

"Argh!" Ari screamed in frustration, walking as quickly away from them as he could.

"Wait, Ari! This is a safe place, no one will judge you!"

Over with Natalia, she was currently being hugged within an inch of her life by her older sister Katyusha who was sobbing about how happy she was that Natalia was still alive. Ivan stood protectively behind his sisters, glaring at anyone who came too close. He rested a hand protectively on his little sister's shoulder.

"It is good to see that you are indeed safe, Natalia," he told her. Natalia stared up at Ivan with stars in her eyes. It looked like she would have tried to latch herself onto his arm, or tried to hug him if it weren't for her older sister hugging her so tightly.

"I t-thought that w-w-we'd never be a f-family again!" she cried, squeezing Natalia into her bosom.

"S-sister, it's hard to breath like this," Natalia complained, still trying to reach out for Ivan. Ivan stood where he was, a content smile on his face.

"It's nice to have everyone together again, yes?"

Lovino and Matthew stood over by the side, watching as their friends were fussed over by their own respective families. It turned out that Lovino's thought about them being on the other side of the mirror was correct. All three families had been squeezed into the small room and had been watching as their interview took place—they had also heard the agent's comment about them being abused by the kidnappers, which they hadn't taken very well. Lovino was just glad that his own friends and family from before hadn't been there to hear or see any of that; he was sure that Matthew felt the same way.

"Are you ready to get back now?" Matthew asked in his soft voice. Even after spending so much time together, Lovino still found it a little hard to hear his new friend, especially with all of the noise going on in the background. Lovino looked back at his other friends and their families and shrugged.

"Eh, might as well," he said. "If that's what's going to happen to me, I'd rather it happen in private, dammit."

Matthew looked down, looking a little sad. "I don't think my family's even noticed that I've been gone…" he said. Lovino looked away awkwardly. They had all thought, one way or another, that their families wouldn't have been that worried or even cared. But Matthew was different; for him, they were all pretty sure that because of his invisibility, nobody would have even noticed that he was gone. Judging by what Agent Freeman had said about not even _knowing_ a Matthew was even involved with the case, this was probably true. Lovino didn't want to say anything, especially since Matthew had probably thought about all of this before. Instead, Lovino patted Matthew on the shoulder and led them down the steps at the precinct to the road.

"Come on; want to see how freaked out my brother will be when he finds out he doesn't have the house all to himself anymore?" Matthew managed a mild smile, something that Lovino was happy to see. He considered the quiet boy to be one of his closest friends now. Even though they had different personalities, they had a lot in common; their younger brothers were the ones that everyone noticed the most often, they were mostly overshadowed by said younger brothers, they had a different kind of humor than usual, they were close with various members of the Bad Touch…

…wait.

"Aw, _crap_!" Lovino groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. Matthew looked at him worriedly.

"What's the matter? Did you forget something back in…there?" he asked, gesturing vaguely to the police station behind them. Both of them really didn't want to go back inside that place, after having spent a good portion of a day inside doing nothing. Lovino shook his head, looking around worriedly. They were a few feet away from the street now, just about to head off down Euclid which was in the direction of Lovino's house.

"I just remembered… _Bad Touch_."

"Oh. _Oh…_" Matthew said, also getting the implication that was made by those two words. The Bad Touch Trio was a group of popular boys who Matthew and Lovino had just so happened to have grown up with. For some reason, the two of them were favorite targets of amusement to the Trio. It was actually rather amazing, now that Lovino thought of it, that he and Matthew hadn't become friends earlier. He thought for sure that the two of them could have bonded over how they had to deal with the Bad Touch; certainly they had met before this whole kidnapping incident thanks to the Trio. For some reason, though, Lovino and Matthew had never really talked face to face until this incident. Lovino blushed, walking down the sidewalk with Matthew next to him. While it would have been nice to have someone to talk to all those years ago, he was still a little hesitant about some things.

For instance, he wasn't quite sure if he would have told anyone, even Matthew, about how he felt.

For years Lovino had watched as the Bad Touch, but mainly Antonio, would come over to his house so that they could hang out with Lovino's little brother. Apparently, Feliciano was good friends with Ludwig, Gilbert's little brother, so the whole trio liked to come over and mess with the two of them. Whenever Feliciano would be out with friends, this task of 'being messed with' ultimately fell to Lovino. Despite all of this, he was still rather close to Antonio. Antonio was always the one who would come over to see Lovino, just Lovino instead of Feliciano. This was something that never happened otherwise. It was Antonio who made Lovino feel like he was liked, maybe even loved. This changed, though, when he happened to see Antonio smiling happily as he talked with Feliciano…alone. Lovino should have known that things weren't always that easy. This had actually happened right before Lovino's kidnapping.

He wondered if Antonio even worried about Lovino more than just an innocent bystander would.

He and Matthew were walking down the street in content, companionable and even contemplative silence when the van pulled up out of nowhere. They were grabbed around the middle and pulled forcibly back into the van, expressions wide-eyed as they heard someone cackle to the driver to 'step on it!'

* * *

><p>Of all the people to abduct him off the street, Lovino didn't think that it would have been Antonio and the other members of the Bad Touch. During their time 'away', Lovino and the others had been abducted, or almost abducted, off the street quite a lot. This was because they would get away from the kidnappers and then captured again and again. Sometimes it would be just one or two of them that were taken and then the others would come to their rescue, but sometimes it would be all five of them. They weren't sure if the kidnappers were just really incompetent and not very good at keeping their prisoners or if they themselves were equally as bad at keeping <em>away<em> from the kidnappers, but either way the cycle was becoming old pretty quickly.

That's why this time it was only with slight surprise that Lovino and Matthew found themselves in Antonio and Francis' arms, respectively, while Gilbert sat before them looking like he was lording over them all. When Lovino turned to see who it was that they had managed to rope into driving their 'getaway' car he scowled to see that it was Ludwig.

"Oh, I am _so_ telling my brother that you helped these guys kidnap me," he told Ludwig. Their driver sighed in resignation.

"Feliciano knows that I'm 'picking you up'," he said, not sparing a glance into the back as he kept his eyes on the road. "If you have any complaints about this arrangement, take it up with my brother."

"No talking to the prisoners, Luddy!" Gilbert declared. "You're just the driver; leave this up to us."

"Oh, goodie," Lovino said sarcastically, moving around so that he could get into a better, more comfortable position in Antonio's arms. He really hoped that his blush wasn't that visible in the dark of the van.

"Um," Matthew brought out, landing all attention on him. He looked wide-eyed and very surprised to see everyone there, though for a different reason than Lovino felt. "Where are you taking us? And how did you know that we would be there?" These were very good questions, Lovino felt. He would have asked them himself, but he decided to let Matthew ask them. Plus, he was enjoying being wrapped in Antonio's arms like this, though he would never admit it to anyone but himself. He didn't know how long this would last, but for right now he felt like he was someone special to Antonio.

Gilbert laughed outright at Matthew's words while Francis chuckled and Antonio stroked Lovino's hair. Lovino _really_ hoped that it was as dark in the van as he thought. "I bet you've had to ask those questions before, huh kid?" Gilbert smirked towards Lovino and Matthew, clearly thinking their current situation was hilarious. Matthew pouted, swiping Francis's hand away absentmindedly.

"Very funny," Matthew said. "You know, we could have been traumatized or something by now. You grabbing us like this could have given us PTSD or something," he pointed out. Matthew tried to move out of Francis' lap so that he could sit next to him on the van's bench seat but Francis apparently wasn't having it. Lovino watched idly, figuring that with Antonio's big brother complex towards him the result would be the same if he tried.

Gilbert's smirk faltered. Clearly, he hadn't thought about that yet. Antonio's arms froze around Lovino while Francis sat up, smile disappearing from his face. Even Ludwig in the front seat seemed to have heard Matthew since the van slowed down quite noticeably.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Ludwig said to his brother.

"Sh-shut up, West!" Gilbert snapped. "L-look, it's not like we—I mean, how could we even…shit."

"Don't worry, we're used to this by now," Matthew rushed to apologize. "This isn't the first time, obviously, or even the second time that we've been grabbed off the street." That seemed to make the Bad Touch even more uneasy.

Francis asked in a slow, measured voice, "How many times has this happened?"

Lovino had to think about it. "Eh, nine times I think."

"_**What?**_" Antonio shrieked behind him. Lovino winced at the noise that seemed to be right next to his ear. Francis and Gilbert looked horrified. Lovino felt slightly guilty; they probably hadn't thought that their joke would have had this kind of consequence.

"A-actually, I think it's more like twelve times," Matthew disagreed, not seeming to notice the mood around them. Lovino turned his head to face him, a frown in place.

"No, it was nine; I clearly remember thinking 'here we go again; nine times just isn't enough for them, is it?' when we were pulled in here."

"Yes, but you're not counting the ones that you were unconscious for."

Lovino scrunched up his face in confusion. "What, you mean from the time that that building exploded? I wasn't out that long, was I?"

"Well, we kind of had a tense grab-off while you were out. It was kind of funny, actually, in hindsight."

The Bad Touch stared at them in horror, not moving for a moment. When Lovino checked out the window to see where they were, he noticed that they were idling by the street corner. Apparently Ludwig had stopped the van and was listening to their story, too. Lovino glared in his direction. He tried to move so he could maybe slap the German teen on the head, but Antonio's arms clenched down almost reflexively, not letting Lovino move an inch. Lovino winced.

"H-hey, let me go already," he tried to say to Antonio. "I want to hit this guy so he can take me home already."

"_¡No! ¡Nunca!_" Antonio cried out in Spanish, clutching Lovino even closer to his chest than before. Lovino was sure that his face was flaming red by now, but for once he didn't really care.

"What do you mean, 'never'?" he demanded, trying to wriggle out of Antonio's arms.

"F-Francis, we really do need to be getting home," Matthew pointed out timidly. Ludwig soundlessly started the van up again and pulled out into traffic, continuing on their way. Gilbert finally broke his silence and started swearing in German.

"Fuck, that's insane," he said, shaking his head. "Hey, Luddy!" he called up to his brother. "Take us over to Starbucks; we need to get these guys some coffee, stat!"

"But I already promised Feliciano that I would bring his brother home five minutes ago," Ludwig protested, checking his wristwatch.

"So, you're already late as it is," Gilbert said. "These guys are in shock, they need coffee!"

"That doesn't even make a little bit of sense," Ludwig grumbled to himself. Louder he said, "Fine, but you are going to have to be the one to explain this to Feliciano."

"Yeah, yeah," Gilbert waved off as Ludwig turned down another street. In the meantime, Francis had pulled out a doll and was demanding Matthew and Lovino show him where they were touched.

"Did you steal that from Matthias?" Lovino questioned as Matthew glared at the doll.

"Where do you think he got it from?" was his only answer. Lovino grumbled to himself, trying to ignore how Antonio leant his forehead against Lovino's neck and was mumbling to himself in Spanish. Lovino couldn't help but shiver when he felt Antonio's breath brush against his neck. It was very distracting; Lovino had to tell himself over and over that it didn't mean anything and that Antonio was just worried because that was who he was. After all, it wasn't like Antonio liked Lovino the same way, right?

Eventually they were able to pull up outside of Lovino's house. _How_ he was able to extract himself from Antonio's arms so he could leave the van he never knew, but that didn't matter at the moment. Lovino turned around and waved goodbye to Matthew. The quiet boy smiled at him and gave a small wave in return before going back to being fussed over by Francis and Gilbert. Lovino had a feeling that Matthew wasn't quite as invisible as he thought he was. As Lovino turned to face his house again, he noticed that Antonio was still with him. He guessed that made sense—Antonio probably wanted to make sure that he reached the house safely. Plus, he wasn't really that close to Matthew, either.

Lovino wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now; obviously, he should probably go inside to see his brother again and let him know that he was doing okay, but Lovino didn't want to do that. If he was really being truthful with himself, he would have said that he wanted to stay outside with Antonio for a while longer—he didn't know why, but he had the feeling that after they left each other, they wouldn't be the same anymore. Lovino didn't want that; he would rather be pining away after someone he was close to than he would not being able to see that person again. He knew he was being dramatic, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to stay with Antonio; he didn't want Antonio to leave him, ever again.

But, the longer they stayed staring at each other like this, the more awkward things would get between them. This was something Lovino also knew. He cleared his throat, looking off towards the house. "I, uh, better get going before Feliciano decides to call the cops wondering where I am…" he trailed off. When it seemed like Antonio wasn't going to say anything Lovino started walking towards his house.

"You're going to leave just like that? Again?"

Lovino paused and turned around to look at Antonio. Antonio had a strange expression on his face, like pain crossed with disbelief mixed with something else, something Lovino wasn't quite able to define. "Even after I just _finally_ get you back, you have to go and leave again? What do you take me for, Lovino?"

Now Lovino was just confused, and maybe a tad hopeful. Wh-what did he mean by that? He couldn't have meant what Lovino thought he meant…could he? Lovino blushed, staring at Antonio in confusion.

"What do you mean, bastard?" he asked. "I'm just going inside." Antonio set his jaw and strode over to Lovino in quick, sure strides. Lovino didn't have time to do much more than blink and open his mouth in a silent question before he was hugged fiercely and protectively.

"I love you," Antonio said simply. Lovino froze where he stood, not quite believing his ears. "I love you so, so much Lovi. When I heard…when I heard that you had been _kidnapped_… I thought my heart had stopped working." That's exactly how Lovino felt now, but for whole other reasons entirely. He felt his eyes start to water and blinked furiously. He wouldn't cry, he would _not_ let himself cry over something like this. It didn't matter if these were the words that he had been dying to hear for ages now, he would come out of this like a man! Antonio continued talking, stroking Lovino's hair absently. "Of course, a lot of people were upset that you—and the others—had disappeared like that. But we hadn't heard anything; at first, the popular theory around the town was that the five of you had run away together; it wasn't until later, when the cops were called in and they reviewed all of the surveillance tape around the place that we knew the truth." Ah, government controled towns. You just had to love them for their distinct lack of privacy. True, in some cases, they were pretty helpful-like this case-but there was still the principle of the matter.

"Did you think that I had run away?" Lovino asked quietly, grabbing onto Antonio's shirt. He wasn't sure which answer he wanted to hear.

"Maybe at first," Antonio admitted in a voice just as quiet as Lovino's had been. "I could tell for a while that you hadn't been happy here. I had hoped…well, I had hoped that maybe you didn't leave because of me." Lovino snorted. If anything, Antonio was part of the reason he had even stayed as long as he did. He wouldn't admit it now, definitely not after what had just happened to him, but he had been contemplating just getting up one day and leaving. Now, though, after what he had just been through Lovino couldn't even think about doing that. It wasn't just because he and Antonio were apparently confessing to each other, either. No, ever since his experience, he had really bonded with his new friends. They were his reason for staying, and he knew that he was part of the reason that they were staying sane; especially after everybody fussing over them now.

"I could never leave because of you," Lovino breathed. "I've kind of had a thing for you for a couple of years now, anyway. I think I'm used to you and your stupidity, so don't blame yourself." Antonio's arms had tightened around Lovino briefly when he finally confessed back. The tears, which Lovino had desperately been trying to keep at bay, fell without stop. Lovino couldn't bring himself to care, though. He had what he wanted, right here in this very moment; who cared about a few spare tears anyway? "I'm definitely not going anywhere any time soon after this," he decided.

Unbeknownst to Lovino and his new lover, Feliciano was watching this all from the living room window. He had a fond smile on his face as he clenched the curtain in his hand tighter.

"I'm happy for you, _fratello_," he said to no one. "I'm glad you found your special someone." Lovino, almost as if he knew what his brother was saying, agreed with him.

* * *

><p>Things looked up for Lovino and his new friends after their little 'adventure'. Ari's brother and his friends still wouldn't leave him alone, but they let up more which was about all he could expect to get. Natalia's relationship with her own siblings grew much healthier, as did Yong Soo's. As for Matthew-his brother, Francis and Arthur wouldn't stop fussing over him for two weeks after he finally came home. Matthew enjoyed all of this special treatment quite well, but even he agreed enough was enough. When the others still protested, Matthew brought out his old hockey stick; they stopped bothering him soon after. Matthew wondered why he had ever quit his favorite sport to begin with.<p>

After Antonio and Lovino's confession, they tried dating for a while and decided that it suited them. Antonio never quite got over Lovino's kidnapping, so every now and then when it looked like there was some kind of criminal activity going on he would suddenly get overprotective of his boyfriend/future fiancé/future husband. Lovino was not amused, though he was secretly happy to be pampered so much. He had thought that things would never work out between them for so long. He was grateful for any sign of affection from the older boy.

They eventually got married, which made them both very happy. Antonio now had more reasons than ever to pamper and spoil Lovino, and Lovino now had a binding promise that Antonio would forever be his. They both thought that they got the best end out of the agreement.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Twenty-Nine; Next Up—We're Going For The Gold!<em>


	30. Life 29 Olympic Dreams

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 29; Olympic Dreams  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Supporter!Fem!Antonio x Fem!Olympics!Lovino; Lovina is preparing for her big Olympic debut; what words of support can Anita give to help with her nerves?  
><em>_Rating__: T for language. I think I used one swear word. Oh, well.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: OC's getting more than just a 'mention' role, the fact that I __**have**__ OC's probably, my bad writing skills, probably really inaccurate terminology and dates, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Anita, Lovina, and a few OC's.  
><em>_Pairings__: Anita/Lovina (for real, this time)  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,179.  
><em>_Notes__: Alice isn't Fem!England. She's an OC. I don't know which country they're (Alice and Lovina) from, so it can either be pronounced Aah-liss in the English pronunciation or Ah-lee-chay in the Italian pronunciation. Also, I was afraid to write this chapter because it seemed a little difficult; then I started writing, and it came out really well, I think. The idea was inspired by watching the gymnastics qualifiers for the Olympics while I was on Spring Break._

* * *

><p>Lovina took a deep breath as she gazed at the people in the large hall. They were all staring at her and her teammates, as well as the other gymnasts in the competition. Lovina was nervous; she'd have to be an idiot not to be nervous. She was currently representing her country at the 2020 Summer Olympics; the hopes and dreams of her country were riding on her. At least, that's what her coach told her once as a pep talk. Clearly he didn't know what 'unneeded pressure' was. As Lovina gazed at all of the cameras around her she gulped. She didn't want to go out there. She didn't want to do her routine in front of all these people… She knew she would mess things up, and then the only thing the world would remember about her was that she had been the one to choke and ruin things for her country. Her hands started to shake as Coach yelled for everyone to start stretching; they would be going up next.<p>

Lovina kept a cool exterior, but inside she was panicking. While she was glad they didn't have to go first, she had also seen all of the other contestants have their turn. They had been amazing; there was hardly a mistake at all. Of course, this _was_ the Olympics, but all Lovina could do was compare herself to them and notice how she came up short. Lovina snuck a peek over at the team next to her and the girl who had just finished performing. The girl walked past her with her head held high, shoulders back and back straight. She had done very well, so it only made sense that she would be proud of herself. Lovina also noticed her team's uniform; compared to Lovina's, the other girl was so sophisticated. Lovina looked down at her own uniform and felt like a baby. The uniform looked so childish on her…

"Hey, Lovi," a voice came from her side, startling Lovina out of her reverie. It was Anita, her friend, supporter and volunteer trainer. Instantly Lovina felt better. Anita always made her feel better. The older girl was only a few years older than she was, but she had been Lovina's friend since the very beginning. Anita was her confidante and her lover. If it weren't for the fact that she felt so nervous and pale, Lovina probably would have blushed at her thought. As it was, she didn't care and instead chose to watch as Anita walked gracefully over towards her. If anyone should have been in this competition instead of Lovina, it should have been Anita. Anita was full of grace, had a very slender but curvy body, and had the nicest personality. The only reason why she wasn't a gymnast like Lovina was because she said that she wanted to support Lovina, not rival her. That had been the day that Lovina knew that she was in love with Anita.

Anita knelt next to where Lovina was on the ground, stretching out her legs. Anita placed her hands on Lovina, helping her stretch and reach the parts she couldn't have gotten by herself. "So, how are you feeling?" Anita asked, massaging Lovina's shoulders lightly. Lovina frowned, looking out at the floor dejectedly.

"I'm not going to do good," she confessed. "I'm going to choke, and then I'm going to end up costing us the medal, and then we're going to have to go home in disgrace and then I'll forever be known as the girl who cost us the Olympics!" Anita scoffed, to Lovina's surprise.

"Please, have you _seen_ the other girls?" she asked lightly, helping Lovina to her feet. Lovina began to pace the floor like it was a balance beam, working her feet to remember what it felt like. Lovina felt like crying.

"I _did_!" she protested. "That's the point; they were so much better than me, and they didn't even make any mistakes."

"No mistakes?" Anita questioned, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Were we watching the same thing? Take that girl who just went, for example."

"What about her? She was perfect."

"We may have to get your eyes checked after this," Anita muttered to herself but loudly enough that Lovina could hear. "That, or raise your confidence. That girl was _not_ perfect." Lovina looked over at her, confused. "She didn't stick her landing, for one," Anita continued, raising Lovina's arms every now and then to the appropriate heights. "She also messed up on her flip; I don't _think_ she was supposed to land on both feet like that, and she wobbled as she took her running start. Her pacing was too fast, and her stance was just too awkward. I'll be _very_ surprised if she places, especially with you out there."

"Me?" Lovina asked questioningly. Anita smiled warmly, lovingly at her.

"Yes, you. If anyone out there _is_ perfect today, it's going to be you," she told Lovina. "You probably haven't seen this yourself, but you really are the best on the team. You hardly ever make any mistakes, and the ones you do make you cover for them easily. Plus, your routine this time is your best so far, in my opinion. You're in good form, too, so you'll be a shoe in for the gold."

"Th-the _gold_?" Lovina questioned, flabbergasted. "Don't you think you're taking this praising thing a little too far?" she asked weakly. She looked out as one of her teammates took to the floor and started. "I-I'm not that good, and even if I was, don't you think the gold is a little…presumptuous? Are you sure you didn't mean the silver, or even the bronze?"

Anita scoffed. "Please, _my_ Lovina, getting just the measly _bronze_? If you weren't so cute, I'd be insulted for you. No, no; my Lovi's not fit for anything _but_ the gold." Lovina really did blush this time at the use of 'my' Lovi so many times. They hadn't really come out to anyone yet, except her friend Alice, so it felt a little risky to be saying that so freely right now. Then again, Lovina always did love it when they could be this honest with each other. It always felt good to know that you were loved. Lovina looked away, back to where her teammate was out on the floor. Maybe it was because of Anita clearing her head, or maybe it was because Lovina knew her teammate and knew what her teammate could do, but she was suddenly looking out with clearer eyes. Her teammate and friend, Alice, seemed to be doing rather well. She messed up on one of her moves, but she easily covered for it. Lovina wondered if anyone other than her team would have even noticed.

"Are you still nervous, _mi amor_?" Anita asked, following Lovina's gaze. Lovina shrugged. She wasn't sure anymore. For right now, all she was focused on was her teammate and how well she did. She didn't think about the other girls who had gone before them, or about her own turn coming up soon. She was focused solely on how Alice was doing. She felt…strangely calm. She didn't even have to look back to see that Anita was smiling at her; Anita always had a smile for Lovina. "How about I give you a magic spell, just in case you do get nervous again?"

Lovina turned to face Anita, an eyebrow raised and a dry look on her face. When they were younger, Anita used to use special 'cheer-up charms' to make Lovina feel better when she was sad. For some reason, Anita liked to keep using the whole 'magic' thing, even now. It would be interesting to see what she came up with. Lovina blushed again. What if the 'magic spell' was…a kiss? In front of everybody? No, they couldn't! It was one thing to come out to her team, but to come out to the _world_ like this? They couldn't do that! Th-then again, would a kiss really count as a 'spell'? Didn't spells have to be words? By the time Lovina recovered herself again Anita was staring at her in amusement. Alice had just finished her routine and was starting to walk off the floor.

"We don't have much time," Anita said when she noticed. Lovina was going next, so technically she should be leaving right now. All she wanted, though, was to hear what Anita had to say; now that the moment was finally here, it seemed that her nerves had returned twofold. "Lovi, when you go out there, don't perform for your team. Don't perform for your country, and definitely not for the people here, watching us. Perform for me, my love. I'll be watching, so think only of me, okay?"

Lovina blushed, ducking her head. She turned around to leave, pausing only to say "I always think of you."

Lovina strode calmly and purposefully towards the open floor. Up first was her floor routine. Because there were other events going on at the same time in the same place, it was both helpful to know that not everyone was watching her, but also distracting because there were other songs and music playing in the background. It would be that much more difficult to focus on only her own music, the one that she had her routine set to. If she ended up listening to others, then it could throw her routine off. As Lovina stopped by the edge of the area where she would be performing and struck her starting pose, she thought back to what Anita had said. Focus only on her… Well, technically Lovina had to focus on her routine. But, if she thought that only Anita was watching... Lovina felt like snorting, but that would ruin things before they began. She could do this routine forwards and backwards if she thought that Anita was the only one watching. Hell, she had done that before, especially since she preferred using her extra practice time to spend time with only Anita.

So, with a deep breath and a dazzling smile for the audience, Lovina began.

* * *

><p>The rest of the routine went by like a blur. Lovina was conscious of doing flips, back flips, turns, and of moving her body in a dance that it remembered without her having to do anything. Dully, in the background, she thought that she could hear cheering but Lovina wasn't focusing on that. All she saw in front of her was Anita's smiling face, all she heard was Anita cheering her on, and all she felt was herself moving in a dance that was meant only for Anita. By the time she stopped, her own music had stopped as well. She stood there in her finishing pose it seemed that someone had turned the sound and the color back on. All around her were people cheering, some for her and some for the others who were still performing. She could see the judges making up points for her but she didn't care what they were at that time. Lovina had to get off the floor to allow someone else their time to shine.<p>

Anita was there to meet her at the sidelines along with the rest of Lovina's team and her coach. They gave each other hugs and her coach told her that he knew she could do it. She and Anita caught each other's eyes and smiled good-naturedly. They would let him have his moment.

"Okay, Alice; you're on the balance beam next." Alice gulped. The balance beam was her worst event. Lovina placed a hand on her arm comfortingly. "Lovina, you're on the uneven bars. Remember, make our country proud!" If Coach noticed his team's pale faces he didn't say anything, instead moving over to Chiara to talk to her about her floor work, which was coming up next as well.

Lovina took a moment to take another calming breath before she headed off towards the uneven bars. She wasn't too worried about this one; the uneven bars had always been a favorite of hers and one that she was rather good at. It helped that she used to play with her older brothers and the other neighborhood children up in the trees, swinging from branch to branch. Compared to those, the smooth, uniformity of the bars was a piece of cake. Lovina approached the bars, gazing at them thoughtfully while she chalked up her hands. In her nervousness from earlier, her hands had started to sweat which would have made this difficult. She had seen a few other girls earlier slip and fall from one of the bars. Lovina felt like smirking; amateurs. She _owned_ at these bars. If there was ever one part of the competition that she wasn't worried about, it was the uneven bars.

Lovina stepped back and took a running jump at the mini trampoline that was placed in front of the bars. Using this, she leapt gracefully and grabbed a hold of the lowest bar. She started spinning around it, reminded of the many summer days where she would do the very same thing but to a large tree branch with rough bark. When she had built up the right about of momentum, she let go of the bar and swung up to catch the next one, placed a few feet away and up. Lovina let herself go as she twirled between one bar and the next, executing perfect flips and splits. Eventually it came time to land. With one last twirl on the highest bar, she let go and did a flip in midair. She landed with both feet placed firmly on the ground, but she detected a miniature wobble. Straightening out, Lovina hoped to hide the wobble as best as she could. Hopefully the judges wouldn't notice. Lovina posed once again before heading off of the mats.

Once again Anita came over to meet her; this time, though, the rest of her team was watching as Alice did the splits on the balance beam. Anita smiled proudly as she greeted Lovina with a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Lovi," she whispered before pulling away. Lovina smiled at her, pleased, when she heard a scream come from the balance beam. Lovina whipped her head around and looked on in surprise and horror as Alice curled up on the floor, grasping her leg. From where Lovina was, she could see that her foot was twisted at a bad angle; Alice had broken her foot. Lovina and the rest of her team swarmed over to the sidelines while their coach rushed over to Alice herself. He talked to her for a moment before helping her to stand up on her good foot and led her off the mats. A round of applause sounded from the audience, cheering Alice on and supporting her. Coach moved through the team with Alice and led her to a bench where he sat her down gently. Lovina hurried to Alice's side, grabbing hold of her hand for moral support. Alice managed a brief smile before grimacing as Coach examined the foot.

"Definitely broken," he said gravely. Lovina's heart sank. If it was broken badly enough, then Alice would never be able to compete again. Alice had started gymnastics at the same time and place that Lovina had, so the two were good friends. In fact, Alice was the only other person, besides Lovina and Anita, who knew that the two were dating. She was very supportive of them, so Lovina felt a certain fondness for the other girl. If she had to give up her dream like that…

Alice squeezed Lovina's hand, giving her a brave smile. "It's okay, Lovina," she said through gritted teeth. Coach was wrapping her ankle up in ice and wrapping, binding it tightly. There were tears at the edges of Alice's eyes; she probably wanted to cry her eyes out right now, but she knew just as well that they were being watched by curious onlookers as well as a few reporters. She had to keep a brave face on, for the team. "It might not be as bad as we think," Alice was saying. Lovina felt floored. Here was this poor girl, who was in excruciating pain, and she was trying to comfort Lovina. That wasn't right; Lovina should have been the one who was comforting her friend. Setting her jaw, Lovina stared seriously and sternly at her friend.

"I'm going to win this event, this whole competition for you, okay?" she told her friend. "So just wait here and watch me. Anita will keep you company, and then the both of you will see how well I do." Alice stared at her for a moment before smiling a little more genuinely.

"Okay! Go out there and win the gold, Lovina!" she said happily. "I won't accept anything less." Lovina smirked tiredly, moving towards the balance beam. She was late for her slot opening, but she knew that she would be excused for making sure her friend and teammate was okay. Now, though, was the time to make the world learn the name Lovina Vargas.

The balance beam was almost everyone's weak point, and Lovina was no exception. She hated that thing; there was poor footing, if you landed wrong then something serious could happen to you—Alice was proof enough for that. However, it was also one of the most important events of the competition. Lovina wasn't _horrible_ at it, but she still had some difficulty. As she moved close to the beam and pulled herself on, she thought about the two people waiting for her, Anita and Alice. Alice was waiting for her to win big; Anita had also said that she would get gold. Why did it seem that everyone thought so highly of her? She was lucky, she knew. Lovina stood up fully on the bar, setting her feet in place. She thought about what Anita had said earlier; if she thought about her girlfriend then she could do this, Lovina knew.

With a deep breath, Lovina began her routine. First were a few one handed flips on the beam followed by the splits. Every time Lovina's feet came down she thought that she would lose her footing. Luckily, that didn't happen. The hardest part of her routine was when she had to give a cartwheel on the beam followed by a flip using no hands to help support her. Lovina had struggled with this in practice, even when she was in front of Anita. She wasn't confident that she could do this without falling. Alice's face floated through her mind right before her cartwheel. Lovina's resolve hardened. She _would_ pull this off, if not for herself then for her friends! Taking as quick and deep a breath as she could, Lovina began her cartwheel. To her surprise, she was actually pulling it off as well as moving seamlessly into the no-handed flip. By the time she was finished, Lovina was firmly placed on the ground and posing for the judges and the cheering crowd. Lovina gave them a hesitant smile before hurrying off towards her friends on the sidelines.

Both Anita and Alice were smiling proudly at her, though Alice was leaning tiredly on Anita's shoulder. Lovina also smiled at them and sat on Alice's other side, sitting back to watch the rest of the competition.

"See, Lovi?" Anita said suddenly, surprising Lovina. "I told you that you would do great."

"That was the best no-handed flip that I've seen," Alice agreed tiredly. Lovina flushed with pride, smiling awkwardly. She wasn't quite used to all this smiling, even if she was in a performance based activity. Instead, she looked shyly away, blush still sitting proudly on her cheeks. She barely heard her Coach's praises as she, too, drifted off in thought.

* * *

><p>After the competition, the marks were given out. To no one's surprise but Lovina's, she placed first over all. That wasn't even to mention the other medals that she won, either. All in all, Lovina really was able to win the gold medal for her team, and for her friends. During the awards ceremony when she and the other medal winners were being given their medals, Anita had been chosen to give Lovina hers. Right after Anita slipped the medal over her neck, Lovina made a bold move and kissed her girlfriend in front of everyone. Anita was surprised, of course, but she also smiled happily afterwards. When people started reacting to their kiss, Anita leant in and whispered,"I'm so proud of you, Lovi. I'm happy that you're not afraid of showing the world that we love each other." Lovina's whole face went red, but she grabbed Anita's hand and never let go.<p>

They received lots of hostile messages and letters for a while afterwards, but eventually things died down enough that the two were comfortable showing off their love in public. More and more people came around and accepted the fact that they were in love, and so gave them their support. The two were very happy and eventually married in Spain, Anita's home country, because they felt it was better than most places to get married.

Alice's broken ankle, thankfully, merely ended up being heavily sprained, and with physical therapy she was able to compete again. During the next summer Olympics she was able to win a few medals for herself, something that made her ridiculously happy. She and Lovina remained friends for quite a while, though the two did end up drifting away from each other. Whenever they would look back on the Olympics, however, they would remember their former friend fondly and wonder what the other was up to after retirement.

After retirement, Alice opened up a pottery place that did fairly well. Lovina and Anita opened up a restaurant that, thanks to her Olympic status, did extremely well for themselves. All three were happy with their lives, and reached old age together. They just didn't know it.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty; Next Up!—Don't You Just Hate It When You End Up With The Wrong Person, Or The Right Person Ends Up Without You?<em>


	31. Life 30 Wrong Love, Right Time

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 30; Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Dating Feli!Antonio x Forced Relationship w/ Ludwig!Fem!Lovino; Antonio is dating Felicia. Lovina and Ludwig plan to do something about this.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some slight language, my bad writing skills, Love Squares, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovina, Felicia, Antonio, Ludwig, Francis, Gilbert, and a mention of Grandpa Romulus. And a certain island. Beware…  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Felicia, (fake) Ludwig/Lovina, Ludwig/Felicia, Antonio/Lovina.  
><em>_Word Count__: 9,141.  
><em>_Notes__: This took really long to write… I kept getting distracted. This is another one that I had had another idea for. I think it could have turned out better, but oh well. I hope you enjoy it! ^_^ Also, I'll be going to an anime convention on Saturday, so no update then. On the other hand, next chapter's super long. I think this evens out._

* * *

><p>From the very moment that her sister brought her boyfriend home, Lovina had felt an instant attraction to Antonio. He had been bright (personality wise, at least), funny, and he had actually managed to get Lovina to smile. He had even seemed so proud about that, too. But, he was dating Felicia. If there was one thing that Lovina would never, ever do, it was steal her sister's boyfriend. So, from the very instant that Felicia had come home from college and said 'this is Antonio, my boyfriend' he was off-limits forever more. Lovina knew this, so she tried to stay away from Antonio ever since then.<p>

Unfortunately, Antonio and his friends seemed to think that she and her sister were 'cute'. Antonio liked to bring his two friends, Francis and Gilbert, over with him when he would hang out with Felicia. Felicia liked his two friends as well, and they of course thought that Felicia was just the cutest thing ever. The four of them would spend a lot of time together until eventually Felicia was friends with Francis and Gilbert as well. It was all very happy, wrapped up nice and neat in a perfect package.

Because Felicia had been away at college for a while now, and Lovina had already graduated, Felicia wanted to spend more time with her sister to catch up on things that had happened since they had last seen each other. This meant that Lovina, whether she wanted to or not, ended up stuck with Antonio, his friends, and Felicia. The only thing that made her situation bearable was that Gilbert brought his little brother with him when he visited, and Lovina loved to annoy him whenever she could. Ludwig was practically the exact opposite of his brother in almost every way. Ludwig was serious and stern and he rarely freaked out. He was also big and muscled, something that Lovina swore he was doing just to show off. Sometimes whenever she brought this up he would blush, but she had no idea why. Ludwig also liked Lovina about as much as she liked him. They had a silent agreement that they would stay out of each other's way when they could, but unfortunately the two of them were always somehow lumped together, particularly with Antonio and Felicia. It just wasn't fair, Lovina thought. Then one day, to her shock and surprise, Ludwig called her out for a 'private chat'.

"Okay potato-bastard, what's this all about?" Lovina demanded, scuffling her shoe on the sidewalk. She was leant against her house while Ludwig faced her with a serious (more so than usual) look on his face. Currently Felicia and her boyfriend, as well as Gilbert and Francis, were inside the house having a party, from the sounds of things. As much as Lovina didn't want to be in there she was starting to grow worried for the breakables that were set around the room. At the first sound of breaking glass, she was rushing in there to lay a smack down on whoever broke something, regardless of who it was or what she was talking about with Ludwig beforehand. Ludwig himself also looked towards the house, his eyes taking on a strained look that Lovina had noticed a lot lately.

"Let's go out," he finally said when he looked at her again.

"No way in hell," was Lovina's immediate reply. Didn't he know that they were sort-of kind-of enemies? And not the 'frienemies' that Antonio and his friends shared with each other, but legit on-again-off-again enemies? Ludwig _had_ to be aware of how she felt about him, and she definitely _knew_ how he felt about her. What in the world would make him think that dating would be a good idea?

"Not literally," Ludwig explained exasperatingly. Now Lovina was slightly interested. And confused, but she would never let Ludwig know that. "I meant we should be in a fake relationship with each other. You know; pretend to go out?"

"_Why_?" Lovina asked. If they were just pretending…no, even then she would still say no. But this really came out of nowhere. Why would he suddenly ask this? There had to be a reason, and she was going to stay there until she got one, breakables be damned—she had a feeling that she would be able to hold this over his head for a _long_ time, and Lovina always did love messing with Ludwig.

To her surprise, Ludwig started blushing again, sneaking a look towards the house. Lovina followed his gaze and saw her sister looking out the window at them, waving when she was noticed. Felicia smiled through the glass and held up a bag of chips, gesturing for them to come inside already. Lovina shot her an annoyed glance and shook her head sharply. Felicia's smile faltered before giving her sister a confused look. Lovina sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She gestured with her hands for her sister to leave already. Felicia looked unsure before she finally left the window. Lovina shook her head. It was about time; she was trying to harass Ludwig over here, and she couldn't really do that with Felicia hanging around all the time.

"So anyway, you were saying?" she asked as she turned back to Ludwig. Ludwig was looking determinedly away from the window, his blush still on his face. Lovina stared at him for a moment before something clicked in her mind. "No way…" she said slowly, staring at him carefully. "You like Felicia, don't you?" Ludwig gave a jerky nod, though she could have figured it out just from his body language.

Lovina leant back against her house again. "Well, fuck," was all she said. "You do realize she's currently unavailable, right?"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Ludwig replied sarcastically. Lovina raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been aware that Ludwig even knew what sarcasm _was_, let alone how to actually use it. She chose to ignore him for the moment.

"You know that this whole 'dating-to-make-her-jealous' thing doesn't actually work in the real world, right?" she asked him. He frowned. Lovina kept going. "And anyway, did you ever think about how happy she is with Antonio?" Her voice wavered slightly when she said Antonio's name, but she hoped it wasn't noticeable. "A-at any rate, Felicia and I have a code; we _don't_ date each other's boyfriends, and we definitely don't steal them away from each other. So, even if you do end up making her like you, you'll also just make her miserable since from the moment we tell everyone 'hey, we're dating!' you'll be off limits."

To her surprise, Ludwig didn't seem discouraged by any of this. In fact, he was staring at her calculatingly, as if in deep thought. Lovina flushed slightly at being examined so closely. "Wh-what, you bastard?"

"You're in the same situation as me," he finally said, with absolute certainty. Lovina gulped. "You also like someone who is already taken." Lovina blushed and looked away. This was probably karma for how she was treating Ludwig earlier. Damn.

"It still doesn't change our situation, you know," she said quietly. Ludwig shook his head.

"What if we do go through with this," he proposed. "You could end up making Antonio like you; I'll go after your sister, and then what? What if we're successful?"

"What? You mean we'd switch with everyone?" she asked, starting to sound a little hysterical. Her secret had been found out, and now she was calmly talking about betraying her sister like this? No, Lovina couldn't handle it. Even if Antonio did mean everything to her, she wouldn't—couldn't—do that to her sister. It just wasn't right. "You mean go home with someone else at the end of the day? And then what? What'll happen when they get tired of us, and then want to switch up _again_? 'Cause if they do that once, you can bet your pastey white ass that they'll be likely to leave us just as easily."

Ludwig was silent after her outburst. He stared at her for a moment while Lovina panted, getting her breath back. The afternoon twilight was starting to blend into the dark of the night. In the distance, Lovina could see various porch lights coming on. She looked out into the darkness of her yard, watching as the shadows made by various trees started to elongate; it was better than having to face Ludwig again.

"You're just scared," he finally told her. Lovina glared at him, feeling like she was just slapped. Ludwig continued on without giving her a chance to say anything else. "You're afraid of rejection, and you're afraid that your sister will hate you. I can understand that. If my brother were to find out about this, I doubt he would really bring me back around," he added dryly. "I'm pretty sure his friends come first, especially in terms of who they date. I'm also scared of what will happen; so, I propose a timeline—if we can't get _both_ of them to fall for us in six months, then we'll quit. We'll admit that it just wasn't meant to be, and we'll continue on with our lives and we'll never mention this ever again. What do you say?"

Lovina was just about to tell him where he could shove his idea when a sudden image of Antonio's laughing, smiling face filtered through her mind. She hesitated, thinking about how it felt for Antonio to smile like that at her sister. She also thought about what it would be like for him to smile that way towards _her_. All her life, Lovina had pretty much been second to her sister. Any guys that she had ever been interested in always seemed to like Felicia more, and Lovina was sick of it. What would it be like, if she could finally have something that her sister had? Lovina thought about how _perfect_ and _right_ the two of them were for each other; really, Antonio seemed perfect for Felicia, and Felicia seemed perfect for Antonio.

But Lovina wanted this so much; she wasn't sure if she had ever wanted someone to like her this much before. Lovina was even willing to fool herself by saying that Felicia wouldn't even be upset, since she would have Ludwig, though why she would want him was beyond her. And like Ludwig had said, it wasn't really like she was stealing her sister's boyfriend; more like they were switching for the right one. Lovina looked up steadily, straight into Ludwig's eyes.

"Okay; let's do this…_darling_."

* * *

><p>The looks on everyone's faces were almost worth having to hold Ludwig's hand when they walked in and told everyone that they were dating now. Francis smirked and said that he knew that there had to be <em>some<em> kind of sexual tension going on between the two of them. Luckily, the blushes that Lovina and Ludwig sported could easily be explained away as lover's embarrassment. Gilbert laughed out loud and slapped his brother on the back a few times.

"Aw, West," he said between chuckles, "if you had just _told_ me why it was you wanted to come around all the time, I would have brought you more! You sly dog, you," he kidded as he poked his brother in the side with his elbow a few times.

"This is precisely _why_ I didn't tell you," Ludwig brushed his brother off gruffly. Lovina snuck a peek at her sister and Antonio. Felicia was staring off into the distance, which wasn't too surprising though she had a somewhat serious expression on her face. As for Antonio he was staring at the two of them blank faced, looking vaguely confused, until he noticed that Lovina was staring. He smiled widely and congratulated them. His words seemed to break Felicia out of whatever spell she had been under. She stood up quickly, clapping her hands happily and smiling at the two of them

"Oh, I just knew it!" she exclaimed, taking their hands into hers. "When I saw the two of you outside looking really serious, I knew you were confessing! I'm so happy for you, Lovi!"

"Oh? Then why did you try to get me to come inside while we were talking?" Lovina asked, feeling like she should at least help Ludwig out a little since they were now in this situation together. Plus, she wanted to see if Felicia might have been a little jealous; if they could work this quickly, then she wouldn't have to pretend to be dating Ludwig for so long.

Felicia blanched before recovering herself. "I was just wondering if you were hungry," she said easily. "I thought that you might have been, since I didn't see you earlier and you usually get hungry at around this time." As if on cue, Lovina's stomach started making noises, something that was _very_ embarrassing at the moment. Felicia smirked knowingly. "See?"

"Yes, well, I was also inviting Lovina out to dinner," Ludwig said quickly. "You know, to…celebrate?" Lovina wished that he hadn't made that last part sound like a question. Yeah, yeah, she got it; she didn't really want to 'celebrate' this any more than he obviously did. Still, she was grateful for him sticking up for her like that. She just hoped that they didn't make a habit of this. She froze slightly when she felt his arm wrap around her waist. Lovina had to force herself to smile now. Oh, he better not lower that hand anymore, especially not in front of Antonio. Lovina looked away quickly, gripping his shirt in a death grip. She hoped it stretched unflatteringly.

"C-come on, darling," she said, not looking at anyone in particular. She knew that she would probably just be thought to be shy, something she was glad about. Pretending to go out with someone you didn't like was really stressful. They hadn't been doing this for five minutes and already she was over thinking her actions as well as his, hoping that they wouldn't be found out. "We should go before the restaurants close." They couldn't get out of there fast enough, in her opinion.

"Well, okay then," Felicia said, showing Lovina and Ludwig towards the door. "Have a good time, Lovi." Looking back, Francis and Gilbert were smirking at them while Felicia had a smile on her face. Lovina's eyes strayed towards Antonio, as they always did. He looked confused; it was the last she saw of him as the door shut behind them.

Lovina let out a breath that she had been holding ever since they stepped into the room. She turned to look at Ludwig who looked composed as usual, damn him. "We're going to have to talk this over more," she decided, leading the way to the car. She was driving.

* * *

><p>Three months passed before either Lovina or Ludwig saw any sort of progress in their situation. Three long months of having to hold hands, go on fake dates where they would compare notes, and even one kiss that would never, ever, ever be mentioned again. Lovina didn't know about Ludwig, but she personally gargled a whole bottle of mouth wash later when she was alone. The kiss had been something to prove that they actually <em>were<em> in a relationship since Gilbert seemed to get a little worried for his brother when it seemed that he and his girlfriend weren't such a happy couple after all. Lovina, feeling hateful and angry that she had to prove herself, grabbed Ludwig and pulled him into a deep, openmouthed kiss that made Gilbert (and everyone else watching) fall silent. That had been a few days ago, and ever since the others had been treating them like a real couple. Lovina wanted to puke.

Lovina was currently curled up on the couch with a blanket around her, watching a movie on the television at night. The boys had gone home for the evening, so it was just her and Felicia at home. Grandpa Vargas used to live with them, too, but Lovina hadn't seen him in years; she thought that he might have run off with a lover or something. They sometimes got a postcard in the mail, usually from some tropical island somewhere. Apparently he really liked this one island in the African sea in particular, and he would sometimes give concerts for fast cash.

Lovina's eyes blinked sleepily and lazily as she watched some trash movie on TV. She wasn't really interested in it, and the plot was horrible and cliché, but it was something to waste time with until bed time. A sudden weight sitting down on the other end of the couch alerted her to Felicia's presence. Lovina glanced at her sister and saw that she looked serious and contemplative. Felicia also glanced at her out of the corner of her eye every now and then, clearly wanting to say something. Since the movie wasn't really that interesting, Lovina turned the television off and turned towards her sister.

"What's up?" she asked. "You obviously want to talk to me about something. What's on your mind?" Felicia bit her lip, turning to face her sister. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger nervously. Lovina raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing her sister look nervous about anything. Usually Felicia was the sure one, the one who never got nervous because she always knew what she was doing, the one who knew what she wanted and who usually got it. It was strange seeing such a confident person act like a nervous little girl.

"Lovi," Felicia said finally, "are you happy with Ludwig?" Lovina blinked.

"Is that what this is about?" she asked. "Just because we don't act like you and Antonio, you wonder if we're happy?"

"Well," Felicia continued, "it's just that you haven't really dated in a long time… and then, shortly after I brought Antonio home, you started dating Ludwig. I just want to make sure that you're not dating him just because I'm dating Antonio." Oh, how right she was, but for a different reason entirely. Lovina actually felt insulted, much more than she felt guilty about trying to attract her sister's boyfriend's attention. What nerve Felicia had to say that she was only going out with someone because _Felicia_ got a new boyfriend! Lovina glared at her.

"What makes you think you had anything to do with this?" she demanded. "I'll admit that I only met Ludwig because _you_ brought home his brother, but you had nothing to do with me dating him! It was his idea, and I went with it because I like him too!" That last part was still hard to say, but strangely enough the more she said it the easier it became. Felicia didn't appear to be sorry for what she had implied, though, after Lovina's speech. If anything, she looked angrier.

"Well, maybe you aren't that great for him, did you ever think of that?" Felicia snapped back. "I still remember before you even dated him, you couldn't stand him! I don't even know how he could even stand to be with you, since I _know_ that you still insult him. You can't expect to keep a guy like that, you know." Lovina's blood boiled, her face flushed. It was one thing to hear from other people about how she was a horrible girlfriend, and how she would never stand up to her sister but it was something else entirely to hear it straight from her sister's mouth. It hurt to hear her shortcomings like that, especially by someone that she thought that would never say such things to her.

"Oh yeah?" Lovina said, her voice shaking from pent-up emotion. "Why do you even care? I thought you were supposed to be my sister, and be there for me. What do you care if I treat Ludwig like crap or not? Maybe he likes it, did you ever think of that? Why else would someone stay with me for so long if I'm such a huge bitch to them all the time, huh?" Lovina lurched to her feet and stormed off towards her room, not even looking back at her sister once. Later, when she was feeling calmer, she noticed that the way Felicia was asking those questions seemed to be more like someone trying to defend someone they cared about instead of attacking their sister for bad behavior.

It was shortly after this confrontation that Felicia and Antonio started drifting apart, little by little.

* * *

><p>Something that Lovina noticed was that Felicia and Antonio started inviting her and Ludwig out for 'double dates'. Lovina and Ludwig would look at each other, pretend like they would contemplate whether they should or not, and then hastily agree while trying to make it look like they weren't desperate to spend time with the one they loved. Their latest 'double date' was over at a botanical garden. Lovina wasn't sure whose idea it was to visit there, but she was happy. She loved looking at all the different types of plants and then comparing them with ones that she grew herself. She also liked looking at the little information cards that were place around and then figuring out what it would take to grow them herself. Usually, she would have to have some kind of insane amount of money just so she could get the environmental conditions right, and that wasn't even counting what it would take just for upkeep. But still, Lovina liked to look at the plants and imagine herself growing them. Before she knew it, she was alone with the azaleas, a breed that she had been seriously thinking about planting outside her house. Lovina blinked, looking around curiously. She wondered where the others went…<p>

"Finally you look up!" a voice exclaimed from behind her, making Lovina jolt in surprise. "I was wondering if I should go over there and make sure that you hadn't turned into a zombie on me." She mock glared at Antonio who was lounging happily on a park bench. He gave her a wide-eyed grin, making Lovina's heart beat faster than usual. This always happened whenever she was around Antonio, but especially when they were alone. Lovina felt her cheeks flush red and looked away, hoping that she wasn't obvious with her staring.

"Where are my sister and Ludwig?" she asked. There was a pause. Lovina, curious, looked behind her and saw that Antonio's lips were upturned in a slight grimace that he was quick to hide when he saw Lovina looking again.

"They went on ahead," he said, getting up from his seat and wandering over to stand next to Lovina. "Your sister said that you would take forever with looking at all the flowers, so she and…Ludwig decided to go on ahead." There was another curious pause right before he said Ludwig's name. Lovina wondered if he didn't like the German boy as well, especially since he was now alone somewhere with his girlfriend. "I decided to stay back and give you company, since I'm not really in any big hurry."

Lovina flushed again, feeling warmth creeping down her neck. "Well, sorry I'm taking so long!" she snapped, feeling mortified. She had wanted to spend more time alone with Antonio, sure, but not if it was going to be any inconvenience! This was just too embarrassing. "I'll just continue on with my walk, then, and you can catch back up with my sister and Ludwig. I know my way around here, so I don't need an escort, thank you very much."

"No, no, you misunderstood me!" Antonio said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I like taking my time and looking at all the pretty plants, too. Felicia, and Ludwig, they just want to waltz through here and then leave as soon as they can. People like them never seem to notice the plants like you and me. I thought it would be nice if we looked around ourselves, without having to be rushed by the others."

Lovina looked down, feeling bad that she had snapped at him. Well, it was his fault for letting her think such things! Didn't he know that he should never tell a lady that she was taking too long? It was a wonder he had lasted this long with Felicia, now that she thought about it. "Fine," she said finally, looking away as she started to head off towards the other plants along the trail. "But if you try to drag me down, I'll move on without you." She looked back in time to see Antonio's smile grow wider as he stared at her, hurrying to catch up.

Lovina noticed later that it seemed that somehow the four of them were split up into pairs like this more and more often.

* * *

><p>Before she even knew it, the six month marker was coming up. It was in a week, actually. Lovina stared at her calendar despondently. It had been six months of subtle flirting, careful manipulating and several hours of precise planning, but still they had nothing to show for it. All that had really happened is that Antonio and Lovina were closer to each other than before, and the same went for Felicia and Ludwig. They had been hoping to break the couple up for themselves, but instead became very good friends. Lovina knew she couldn't go back to the way she was before; back then, what she had thought was love had been just a silly crush. Given time, she probably could have even gotten over her feelings for Antonio. But now, oh no, now Lovina knew what love was—she was deeper in love with Antonio than ever before. She didn't know if she could last much longer being 'just friends'. It hurt too much, especially when she thought about how he was <em>still<em> with Felicia. Lovina knew that Ludwig must feel the same, but she just didn't care at the moment. She was staring at her calendar, a small one that was propped up on her folded knees as she sat on her bed, trying not to cry.

Lovina Vargas did _not_ cry, especially not over some boy that she couldn't have. That was her motto, her creed for as long as she could remember; nothing had shaken that belief in herself before. Except that now she felt herself about to cry almost all the time, and she actually did end up crying a little in her bathroom at night when her sister was either out with her _boyfriend_ or asleep.

Lovina stared sadly at the little red circle that marked on her calendar. In a fit of optimism, she had placed a little smiley face next to it, thinking that by that time she would have been dating Antonio already. Now, though, the smiley face was just laughing at her foolishness. Sighing, she picked up her phone and dialed a number that she was ashamed to admit that she had memorized. She waited a few moments while it rang before the other person picked up.

"_Ja? Lovina, what is it?"_ Lovina took a deep breath.

"I think we should break up." Lovina winced at how dead and hopeless her voice sounded, even to her own ears, but she knew that it had to happen. Ludwig paused for a moment on the other end.

"_Are you sure?"_ he asked. _"We still have a few more days-"_

"I'm sure," she interrupted, feeling just a little spark of mean happiness inside of herself at that fact. It looked like Ludwig could still cheer her up, even now. It was unfortunate that all Lovina really wanted right now, all she had been thinking about for weeks, was Antonio. "You and I both have to admit that it's just not going to happen. We've had six months."

"_Actually, five months and three weeks_," he interjected, probably because he just had to correct her.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "The point is that if it hasn't happened by now, it's not going to happen at all. Let's face it, we've tried our best, and now were just worse off for it. Maybe we should quit now while we're still ahead?"

"_Still ahead of what?"_ Ludwig replied bitterly. Lovina frowned at the level of bitterness in his voice; it seemed she wasn't the only one suffering, after all. _"I've already come too far, now. I don't know about you, but I just can't change my feelings at the drop of a hat. I'm already in love, and it's painful, and it's never going to go away. Maybe you're right, that we need to quit now before we get hurt any more than we already are, but make no mistake, my feelings aren't going to go away. There is no 'probably' for me."_

"H-hey, don't blame me for this!" Lovina protested. "This whole thing was your idea, remember? I was the one who said that it wouldn't work."

"_I never said that I was blaming you,"_ Ludwig sighed exasperatingly. _"Sometimes I wish I could, but I know that I was the one to come up with the idea. You do have to admit, though, that you share some blame; you were the one who agreed. An idea's just an idea until someone acts on it."_

"Oh god, you're not going to go all philosophical on me, are you?" Lovina groaned, lying back against her pillows. She stared at the ceiling, since it was a nice, neutral background. It was a little harder for her to associate something with it to Antonio, but she knew that given time she would be able to. It sucked, being in love with someone who didn't love you back. She and Ludwig were finding this out the hard way.

"_Nein, nein,"_ Ludwig reassured her tiredly. _"Well, if that's all that we have to say to each other, I think we should leave off there."_

"That is perhaps the first and only thing that you have ever said that I actually whole-heartedly agree with," Lovina said before hanging up. She stared at the ceiling for a little while longer. Any moment now, her sister was going to come home from her date, and Lovina would have to smile and be happy for her right before she says that she broke up with Ludwig. Maybe she could just say it before Felicia has a chance to say anything. Then again, she didn't really want to be the one to admit that she and Ludwig had broken up. For some reason that Lovina didn't even know, Felicia hated that Lovina was dating Ludwig. Oh, she loved Lovina, of course, and she clearly liked Ludwig but for some reason she just didn't like the two of them dating. Lovina tried to call her out on this once or twice, but that always led to Felicia shouting at her and saying that they weren't a good match, or that Lovina wasn't good enough for him.

Lovina, of course, felt insulted. Sure, she would definitely admit that Ludwig wasn't good enough for either of them but for _her_ not to be good enough for _him?_ Oh, that really put Lovina in a rage. Then the two sisters would start fighting even more than they had before and it would take the entire Bad Friends (Antonio, Francis and Gilbert; they liked to name themselves, apparently) to separate them. It was just fortunate that none of them understood Italian. No, it was best for everyone if they didn't start on that.

Lovina eventually got tired of sitting on her bed and moping, so she went downstairs to the kitchen to make up some kind of comfort food for herself. Since her sister absolutely _loved_ pizza, Lovina rarely was able to actually eat pasta. Well, Lovina felt like spoiling herself; isn't that what you do when you break up with someone? The best way of all to spoil herself would be to make her favorite Italian pasta dish and add in as many tomatoes as she could. It was her break-up, she could eat what she wanted to. Maybe she would even clean the house out of ice cream later. Who knew?

As she stirred her pasta into the boiling water, Lovina allowed herself to take the time to think over her situation. She wasn't actually upset about the 'break-up'; if anything, she was glad that she didn't have to pretend anymore. No, she was sad because now she would never know what it would have been like to have Antonio as her own. It was the missed opportunity, the fact that her sister's fortune was staring her right in the face, that had made her upset. She was calling it a 'break-up' because what else could she call it? If it meant explaining her melancholy by saying she was sad about her 'break-up', then so be it. It was easier, and much healthier for her ego, than explaining the truth.

Lovina was just cutting up tomato slices onto her plate full of steaming, waiting pasta when the front door opened with a crash and a bang. Lovina almost cut herself when she jumped in shock and fright. Her fear turned to irritation and slight anger when she saw, over the counter that was separating the kitchen from the living room, her sister storm into the house followed by Antonio and Francis. Lovina rolled her eyes; her sister could be so dramatic. She felt herself swallow when she saw Antonio again. She didn't know if she would ever get over this reaction to him, but for her sister's happiness she hoped that it would happen soon. Her biggest fear for the past six months (fine, five and three weeks) was that Felicia would find out how she felt about Antonio. Now that she had pretty much given up on that, she was strangely unafraid now. Maybe, to help with the healing process—if there was such a thing as 'healing'—she would move out of the house, maybe even move back to Italy.

But for now, she was just irritated that her sister and her sister's friends almost cost her a finger. She glared long and hard at them, watching curiously as they stared at her warily. "Is there some reason you lot had to storm in here like you were on the run from something?" she complained, turning back to her tomato. "I almost lost a finger, you know." She paused before looking back up again, her eyes narrowed. "You're _not_ on the run, are you? 'Cause if I have to bail you out of jail—again!-"

"Veh!" Felicia cried, cutting off her sister's tirade by running through the living room into the kitchen and throwing herself at her sister into a hug. Lovina, luckily, moved the knife out of the way so that she didn't end up stabbing her sister. She was still surprised by the hug, and looked over at Antonio…and Francis for answers.

"What's going on?"Lovina asked. "And why are you acting like my puppy just died or something?" she turned towards her sister, poking her in the side when she didn't move at first.

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Lovi!" she cried…literally, to Lovina's horror. "I-I heard about you and—and L-L-Ludwig, and…Oh, I'm just so sorry!" Lovina scrunched her eyebrows in confusion; how would she have possibly heard about this already? Unless Ludwig told them, but she kind of doubted he was in the mood to talk to them. Lovina herself wasn't even in the mood, either, but there wasn't much she could do when they just burst in through the door like that.

"And how did you find out about this?" she asked finally when it seemed that Felicia wasn't going to say any more, while Antonio and Francis just stared at her with the same apprehension as before. Antonio's eyes kept flickering back between her and her plate of pasta; he was probably worried about interrupting her dinner, or something. He leaned over to murmur something to Francis, so obviously Lovina wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the two of them. After a few more pokes, though, Felicia was finally willing to talk.

"Ve, well, me, Antonio and Francis were over at Gilbert's place, and Gilbert was wondering where Ludwig went, so he went to go look for him but then he happened to overhear him on the phone, so he listened in and heard that you were breaking up," Felicia's voice cracked on the last word before she shook her head and continued on "so then, Gilbert came down and told us what happened, and then we talked about it some, and then I just had to come over to see if you were all right!" By then Lovina's head was spinning from what her sister was saying. They overheard what she and Ludwig were saying? And they thought that they actually were breaking up? But then, why were they all over here? Gilbert obviously stayed behind for his brother, but why were Francis and Antonio there?

"You came all the way here, with these two, just because you heard that me and Ludwig broke up?" she asked wonderingly. "Well, after you all had talked about it first."

Felicia nodded her head, her eyes still watery. She took a deep, watery breath of air before she continued on with her speech. "I'm so sorry, Lovi. I know I always told you that you and Ludwig weren't a good couple, but…"

"Yeah, well, you had nothing to do with this," Lovina told her, finally pushing her sister off. What she had said was total lies, of course, but quite frankly she didn't care. Lovina was hungry, and goddammit, she felt like being somewhat pampered this evening! She sat down in her chair and speared a fork-full of spaghetti into her mouth, grimacing as she did. Great, her food was turning cold. Some comfort food this was turning out to be. "We weren't that great together, anyway. I liked to tease him and call him a fucking potato, he liked to try to correct my grammar and alphabetize my room. No, not my books or magazines or even my music, _my room_. You can have him, if you want."

Lovina and Felicia stiffened at the same time, Lovina realizing what she had just said. "Y-you know, just in general. A-anyone can have him really, since I don't care anymore. That's what I mean," she spluttered, trying to not make the situation any more awkward than it already was. Lovina wouldn't even look up at her sister and instead started twirling her pasta around on her fork absently, hoping that she wasn't making as complete an ass out of herself as she thought. Especially with _Antonio_, Felicia's boyfriend, in the room! Really, this must have been the first time that Lovina had forgotten about that little fact, and it just had to be now that she finally spoke her feelings out loud! Hopefully, nobody would look too much into her little slip-up. She stabbed a tomato slice vindictively, as if hoping to take out all of her troubles on that one little piece of fruit. To be fair, tomatoes did usually end up solving a lot of Lovina's problems, so this wasn't so crazy an idea as it seemed.

"Do you really mean that, Lovi?" Felicia asked slowly, wonderingly. Lovina looked up with an arched eyebrow. Felicia looked back and forth between her sister and the front door, as if hesitating on an important decision. When Lovina finally caught her eye, Felicia stared back determinedly. "You mean that, right? There're no take-backs or do-over's, you can't change your mind later!" she warned her sister. Lovina stared at her openly in confusion, not quite getting what Felicia was talking about

"What are you-?"

"See ya!" Felicia shouted back at her as she ran at breakneck speed towards the front door. "I'm off to get me a man!" The door slammed shut resolutely behind her, descending the room into silence. Lovina looked over at Antonio and Francis, wanting to see how they took this. Mostly she was worried about Antonio, since it seemed like his girlfriend had just left him to go out with her sister's ex-boyfriend now that he was available. That had to suck. Now that she thought about it, things were working out nicely for Ludwig; it definitely explained why Felicia seemed to get so jealous over Lovina's boyfriend.

Antonio wasn't even staring at anything in particular. It looked like he was staring at her fork for some reason. "Antonio?" Lovina asked, but got no response. She looked over at Francis curiously, starting to get up from her seat.

"Oh, no, _Cherie_, I wouldn't get up if I were you," he told her, an amused little smile on his face as he looked between Lovina and Antonio, who was staring in her general direction with wide eyes. Francis smirked, pleased, and looked like he had just seen something that he had expected. He patted Antonio on the shoulder carefully, saying "Go get her, champ," before he, too, turned and walked out the door.

Now she was really confused, and her face was turning a startling shade of red. Francis's pats on the shoulder must have done something, because Antonio suddenly jolted, looking around as if he didn't recognize where he was.

"Are you okay?" Lovina asked, starting to get a little concerned. Obviously, finding out that Felicia was leaving him for Ludwig was probably a big shock, but his reactions were starting to get a little disturbing. Antonio locked eyes with her, and to Lovina's surprise his face started to flush as well. Antonio started forward a few steps, looking like he was about to say something but nothing came out. He cleared his throat a few times and entered the kitchen, looking between Lovina and her dinner. Lovina raised arched her eyebrow again.

"I don't know what's going on with you," she said, "but this is _my_ supper, so you can just order your own or some-"

"You—you like tomatoes?" Antonio asked, his voice hoarse for some reason. Lovina blinked slowly, looking from her plate to her fork where a juicy slice of tomato sat. She thought the answer would have been obvious.

"Yeah," she said slowly, not quite sure how well his brain was functioning at the moment. It would probably be best to stick with small words said slowly so that it was easy enough to understand. "I eat them all the time. They're probably my favorite food, other than pasta."

"Marry me," Antonio said abruptly, an absolutely serious expression on his face. Lovina's mind blanked as her whole face, ears, and neck turned a brilliant scarlet as all of the blood in her body rushed straight to her face. Maybe she had used too many big words and Antonio's brain shut off. That had to be it. Lovina had wanted Antonio for a long time now, and she had finally given up on having him. But things weren't making sense at all today. First Felicia freaks out on Lovina and decides that she wants Ludwig after all and then just _runs out_ on not only her sister but also her boyfriend, and now Antonio seemed to finally be showing interest and had even just asked _**that**_ question. Maybe she was dreaming. That had to be it. Lovina had been feeling really stressed lately, and had wished that something would finally happen so that everyone ended up with who they were meant to be with, and her subconscious readily supplied her with…with _this_. There wasn't any other explanation…was there?

Antonio noticed Lovina stiffening and seemed to realize what he had just said. He hastily took Lovina's hands in his, after getting her to set the fork down, and started babbling as quickly as he could. He probably wanted to get his feelings out just as much as Lovina had for six months already. "Well, it's just, I kind of liked you for a while now, but I knew that you were seeing…Ludwig, and I was technically still with your sister, but by then she had agreed with me that things just weren't working out between us since we both liked other people, namely you and Ludwig, but apparently you and your sister had some kind of sisterly pact to never, ever date your sister's boyfriends or ex-boyfriends, so we both thought that we would have no chance at all, but then we found out that you and that guy actually broke up, so we thought 'hey, now's our chance!' since we were pretty sure that you both liked us back, but first we wanted to be sure, so Gilbert was supposed to look after his brother and ask him how he felt about Felicia while we came over to see if you were doing okay, and then when you said that your sister could have him, it was like something clicked for the both of us, so I guess Felicia went off after Ludwig, but then I was still a little unsure, since I thought it might seem a little shallow of me to dump one sister and then end up with the other, but when I saw that you liked _tomatoes_—my all-time favorite food, actually—it just felt so _right_, and I guess-"

"You just asked me to marry you, just like that," Lovina finished, very surprised with how steady her voice was. It was still trembling, of course, but she thought that it might have been worse. Go figure. "Just because we like the same kind of food?" she finished weakly. All of this seemed too good to be true, and everyone knows what they say about that. Antonio laughed awkwardly at that, but he still hadn't let Lovina's hands go. For some reason that was the only thing she could really concentrate on. It was probably because jolts of electricity and warmth seemed to be coursing through her veins where they touched. It wasn't just the hand contact that was making her feel this way. From where they were sitting at the table facing each other, their knees brushed ever so slightly, but every time they did it was like getting shocked all over again. Lovina had never felt like this with anyone before, not even with old boyfriends (Ludwig didn't count; he would never, ever count). She wondered if Antonio felt this same feeling, too.

"Seems kind of silly, when you put it that way," Antonio mumbled, embarrassed. Lovina thought that, in this moment, he was the cutest thing that she had ever seen. And, almost impossibly, it seemed that he liked her back. She had to be dreaming…but if so, then she never wanted to wake up.

"Well," she said, deciding to help him out, just a little. "We could start with a first date, and take it from there. If we like it, then we could talk about…marriage." Lovina choked a little on the last word. It seemed so unfamiliar to her, something that she had never thought would have been possible before. Even when she had fantasized about Antonio before (she admitted with some embarrassment), the concept of marriage hadn't even crossed her mind. Lovina was a realist, and she wanted to stick with just getting to even go out on a date with Antonio, let alone getting _married_ to him. But still, the more she thought about it, the more appealing the concept seemed. They could get married…and then from there, move out somewhere in the country where they could grow their own gardens full of all the plants that Lovina wanted, get a dog or a cat or both, maybe even have children. Oh yes, the more she thought about it, the more Lovina decided she liked what she saw in her mind's eye. She smiled bashfully at Antonio, feeling unbelievably happy when he smiled back and squeezed their hands comfortingly, lovingly.

Oh, yes, she could deal with this.

* * *

><p>To no one's surprise at all, Lovina and Antonio, as well as Felicia and Ludwig, lasted long and lasted strong together. Felicia immediately moved out of the house so that she could move in with her new boyfriend (and his brother, but that was mostly because Gilbert came with the package). Lovina couldn't care less; she had the house to herself, and Antonio ended up moving in with her. Felicia gave Lovina a strict warning that she was to <em>back off<em> and stay _far away_ from Ludwig from now on. Lovina wholeheartedly agreed, but also issued the same warning to her sister regarding Antonio. Both sisters agreed, and their boyfriends idly wondered if they would ever get a say in the argument. Not that they wanted to go against their girlfriends like that, but it was the principle of the matter. Francis told them that they should just walk away with whatever dignity they had left. Gilbert laughed.

Also to no one's surprise, the two couples ended up married. Francis was left wondering idly why it took them so long.

Felicia and Ludwig ended up moving to the city where Ludwig opened an accounting firm that did remarkably well for themselves, until a scandal rocked the company and made them lose most of their shareholders and clients. Apparently, a client tried to claim that Felicia came on to him and had a steamy affair with him. Nobody who knew them believed this, and when the scandal really came to light everyone saw the truth—Felicia wholeheartedly loved her husband and was ready to claw the eyes out of whoever said otherwise. Wisely, the former client dropped his lawsuit and was never heard from again.

As for Lovina and Antonio, the two moved to the country and opened up their own co-op that did modestly well. The two could never afford to have the kinds of vacations that Felicia and Ludwig (and Gilbert; he still came with the package) went on, but they were still happy with what they had. Lovina even won a prize in a gardening magazine for her plants that she grew in her garden, and was even able to name a new species of tomato plant that she had bred in her spare time. She called it the Latin Romance, since it was tomatoes that had brought her and her husband together.

All in all, Lovina supposed that she should thank Ludwig, since it was his idea that led to their great fortune. Then again, she hated Ludwig so that was never going to happen. Ludwig could just deal with it.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-One; Next Up!—It's a Turf War; Whose Side Are You On?<em>


	32. Life 31 Antonio and the City Gangs

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 31; Antonio and The City Gangs  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Latin Germanic Turf War!Antonio x Lovino; Antonio moves to the city and is surprised to find himself somewhat in the middle of a gang dispute. Lovino needs help with his brother.  
><em>_Rating__: T because of various uses of swears and cuss words.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, chapter length, my bad writing skills, various mentions of racism (yes, I know that this is Hetalia but I kind of feel like I'm pushing it here…), Conquistador!Antonio, really, really angry!Arthur, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Feliciano, Gilbert, Francis, Arthur, Romulus, Alfred, mentions of Matthew, Matthias, Lukas, Berwald, Ludwig, Roderich, Vash (Switzerland), Kiku, Xiao, Sadik, Heracles (Greece), Emma and introducing Garen (Germania).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Alfred/Feliciano (ha ha, it's not GerIta this time!), Sadik/Heracles  
><em>_Word Count__: 15,767.  
><em>_Notes__: This is a ridiculously long chapter (twenty-six pages, actually). I'm not sure how it got to be this long, especially since I didn't really have any ideas for it before I actually started writing. I feel like this could turn into its own separate story somehow…_

_Also, does anyone else see how I separated the two gangs up? There's a sub-section of the Germanics called the Uralic's, if that gives you any idea. They aren't mentioned, though I wish I could have… They would have been so much fun to write._

**_Edit_**_: Since I'm pretty much just waiting around for an hour right now before the con (OMGcon, if anyone's interested), I decided to update early. Because this is so long, and I don't have that much time, I haven't looked over the chapter for mistakes yet. Please excuse any that you see. Also, I'm using my old Beanie Babies (don't own) as Pokemon (also don't own). I knew there was a reason why I kept them around..._

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><p>Growing up, Lovino heard a lot about the Germanics. They were a ruthless gang, one that had taken over a good portion of the city already. To Lovino, they represented greed, corruption, danger, decadence, violence, and every other kind of negative description under the sun. When he had been seven, and his younger brother Feliciano was four, Lovino had been warned to stay away from them. They were a dangerous group of people who would sooner cut you open and sell your body parts and organs for spare change as look at you. Lovino, for one, loved all of his body parts and organs, including the stupid gallbladder and appendix that seemed to actually do absolutely nothing. Whenever he saw someone who looked like they belonged with the Germanics, he would immediately cross the street and get the hell out of whatever area he was currently in. Then, of course, he would call up his Grandfather to come and deal with the Germanics who were on their side of the city.<p>

You see, Lovino belonged to the Latinos, another gang that had control over the _other_ half of the city. Lovino's grandfather, Don Romulus Vargas, was the head honcho, the leader of the entire thing. As his first-born grandson, Lovino was due to inherit the gang whenever Romulus passed. Considering he was actually somewhere in his fifties or sixties but still looked like he was in his thirties, if that, Romulus would probably be in power for quite some time.

Whenever someone new came to the city, they were immediately put into one of the two categories of 'Germanic' or 'Latino', even if they didn't have any previous or current gang ties. This was usually decided on one's ethnicity, though sometimes it became hard to put someone in a specific category.

There was one exception to this. Everyone, on both sides, left the Asians alone. It was bad enough having to deal with one enemy, neither side wanted to deal with two. So, the Asians were considered neutral territory; as such, their 'territory' was typically the very middle of the city, keeping both sides from attacking each other more than necessary. Also, nobody wanted to start a land grab or gang war in Asian territory. While they may not be involved in any sort of actual gang violence, there were still quite a few who were dangerous on their own. For everyone's safety, it was generally held as an accepted belief and Rule that there was to be no gang-fighting in Asian territory.

Having grown up with all of this around him, it was no wonder that Lovino had developed his hatred for the Germanics. The leader, as everyone knew, was Garen Beilschmidt—a strict, no-nonsense kind of man who had once betrayed Grandpa Romulus in the past. Rumor had it that he also had two grandsons, the first being a wildcard who was all over the place and was fight happy and usually getting drunk somewhere. The second grandson was supposedly an exact carbon copy of his grandfather, with the exception of hair length. There was some rumor going around about whether the first grandson was really legitimate or not, so it looked like the gang would fall to the second grandson to run. Lovino already hated him, especially if he really was just like his grandfather. Some things just couldn't be forgiven, and for Lovino that meant betrayal.

It was with some surprise that Lovino found himself helping his brother pull off an affair with one of the Germanic's underlings. But, he supposed that he should start from the beginning.

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><p>Antonio looked around the city, bright-eyed and overwhelmed by all that he saw. He had heard many good things about the city, and ever since graduating from high school he had known that he wanted to attend Pangaea University, located right in the heart of the City of Pangaea. They had good programs, and were leading the way in all sorts of opportunities and advancements in practically almost every field imaginable. Antonio also heard that this was because there was a sort of intense rivalry among the students, but he knew that rumors were generally far-fetched. The school probably just kept its students motivated really well or something.<p>

Antonio had just stepped out onto the street outside of his apartment building, wondering where he should go first. Classes didn't actually start for another week, so he had plenty of time to get all of his books, school supplies and find out where everything in the city was. Luckily, there was also a very good public transportation system in place. Antonio hadn't brought his truck with him, and the city was too big to walk around and spaced apart to walk around everywhere. Antonio grinned cheerily, ready to start whatever adventure laid before him. He felt so cheesy, like he was a tourist or something. But he wasn't! For the next four or so years, Pangaea would be his new home. He couldn't afford to stay a tourist for long.

Antonio set off down the sidewalk, looking around at all the different buildings and people around him. He had heard about Pangaea's diversity, but this was much more than he had expected. Already, just from walking down the street for five minutes he had heard conversations in at least as many different languages. He had also noticed a few people staring at him like he shouldn't be there, but Antonio paid no heed. They probably didn't recognize him; they were in a smallish neighborhood that belonged to part of the city, so they were probably all very close-knit. Antonio knew that he would have to work hard to gain their trust and ingratiate himself with them, but it was doable. Antonio had been told that he had a very affable personality—apparently, it was pretty easy to get along with him.

Antonio turned down the street, thinking that he remembered that there was a nice little coffee shop just around the corner, when he almost ran into someone. Antonio stumbled back just in time, but he still was quite startled, as was the person he almost ran into. Antonio shook his head slightly and gave the other person a smile. Maybe this was his chance to finally meet someone in the city!

The other person was a man about his age with bright blond hair, startling green eyes, dressed very impeccably for someone his age, and with rather large eyebrows. Antonio might have stared for a while if it weren't for the poisonous glare that he was getting from the shorter man. Antonio blinked back, confused. He didn't think that it had been that bad; they didn't even actually hit each other. The green-eyed man narrowed his eyes, looking Antonio up and down in a way that made him feel like he was being judged. This was starting to get a little too creepy for Antonio.

"Um…_lo siento_, I didn't mean to almost run into you," Antonio apologized, feeling like he should be the one to do so. Around them, people began to stop and watch the faceoff between them like it was some kind of entertainment. A few were even starting to show open hostility towards Antonio. He blinked again, looking around in growing panic. What was going on around here? Antonio hadn't even really done anything! Maybe they were really protective of others, or they just got offended really easily in this neighborhood. Either way, he really wasn't so used to people hating him without knowing him.

"Spanish," the green-eyed man said in disgust. It sounded to Antonio like the man had a British accent. He definitely sounded pretty stuffy, like the stereotypical well-to-do British man that Antonio usually thought of whenever he thought of the British Isles. "I had my suspicions with that tan skin of yours, but that accent definitely proves it. What are you doing over in Germanic territory, Latino?"

If anything, that speech just made Antonio even more confused. He looked around at the growing crowd around them and noticed that most seemed to be blond with light-colored eyes. Not one of them had anything resembling a tan, and for once Antonio was starting to feel like he didn't belong. He turned back to the green-eyed angry man and frowned.

"That's not very nice," he said. "You don't even know me. And what's this about 'Germanic territory', anyway?"

The green-eyed man pulled back, eyes widening in surprise. All around them, the people who were listening in were murmuring to themselves, no doubt muttering more bad things about Antonio. He felt very insulted. Personally, he thought he was a very nice guy.

"You really don't know, do you?" the green-eyed man said finally, still staring at Antonio like he couldn't believe his eyes. "How long have you lived in this city?" he demanded suddenly, expression turning calculating.

"Not that long," Antonio admitted. "I finally got unpacked and all moved in today; I'm going to be starting at Pangaea University, soon," he added, thinking that he should probably explain fully. "You see, I was just checking around the neighborhood to see where everything is-"

"Enough!" the other man exclaimed, cutting Antonio off rudely. "I don't care about your life story. Look, Latino, there are a few things that you need to know about this city. One, you're on Germanic territory now. Two, you're Latino; you shouldn't even _be_ in Germanic territory if you don't want to get your ass handed to you. And Three," –the man broke off to shove Antonio back- "You better stay away from me if you don't want to end up in the hospital. In fact, it would probably be best if you just packed up all your crap and left the city. This is some basic friendly advice. This city eats up newcomers like you." The man broke off to look Antonio over again, this time in contempt and derision. "Next time I hear about you, I expect it to be in the newspapers—the mortuary section."

Antonio stood straight, using his height to tower over the other man. He returned the man's gaze with a cool one of his own. "Is that right? I'm more capable than you think. I bet I could take you on, actually." The man gave an amused snort, which was followed by a few snickers in the crowd. "No, really; I don't think you want to mess with me." The green-eyed man returned his gaze, not breaking it as he brought out a switchblade.

"Care to test that theory?" the man asked with a cocky raised eyebrow, his expression beckoning Antonio to try to take him on. Antonio may not have had a weapon with him, but he sure as hell wasn't backing down in a fight. He didn't even know who or what the Germanics or the Latinos were, but he did know that he didn't like this guy's attitude. It was people like him that annoyed Antonio the most—the kind who tried to tell you what to do because they thought they knew oh so much better than you did. Well, Antonio had come across his fair share of people like this before, and like always, he took them down. Antonio had been hoping to leave that part of his past behind him when he moved into a new city, but it looked like that just wouldn't be the case. He was starting to take off his jacket when a fancy sports car pulled up next to the curb.

A hush fell over the crowd as a very stylishly dressed man stepped out of the car. A few people muttered before they left as quickly as they could. Antonio didn't know who this man was, but he couldn't be sure that he was a friend. The new man, who had auburn hair with a strange curl to the right of his head, snapped his sunglasses off, glaring evenly at the green-eyed man.

"Arthur," the newcomer said. The green-eyed man, who had to be Arthur, glared in contempt at him. He still didn't put the switchblade away, though he left it dangling in his hand by his side. Antonio didn't feel very relaxed, however. He had a feeling that Arthur could just as easily swing it back up quick enough to do damage. Antonio stared at both strange men warily. He had a feeling that he was caught up in something he didn't understand, nor did he want to be a part of it.

"Lovino," Arthur said as a greeting. His lip twisted in a sneer, shooting a look at Antonio. "What, did you come all the way out here just to save your little friend?"

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Antonio burst out before Lovino had a chance to say anything. Both Lovino and Arthur stared at him like he was crazy. "For one, I don't need any help to take you down, even if you _do_ have a switchblade. Two, I'm not little! I'm totally taller than the both of you. And for another thing-"

"God, you really _are_ new, aren't you?" Arthur cut in lazily. He and Lovino looked like they might have been insulted about being called short, but they decided to ignore that part for right now. "Can't you see that you're being saved right now? That is, unless Mister Heir-Apparent wants to get involved," a dangerous, hungry gleam entered Arthur's eyes. "I could call up some friends, make it an even fight…" he suggested. Lovino snorted.

"Please, like there's actually going to be any 'fighting' getting done here," he said. "I'm only here because I heard some people talking about one of my Latinos getting into some kind of trouble with you _Germanics_. I'm just going to take him with me, and then we'll be out of your eyebrow hair." Arthur glared evilly at Lovino, his expression much more full of hate than any that Antonio had seen before. Apparently his eyebrows were a sore subject.

"So you're running away, eh?" Arthur accused.

"Hardly," Lovino replied easily. "We're just too close to the Asians." That seemed to give Arthur some kind of pause. He faltered in his movements, looking suddenly unsure.

"We're still in Germanic territory," he said finally, though from his voice he didn't sound that convinced. "A-and anyway, what they don't know-"

"But they _do_ know," Lovino said meaningfully. He pointed behind him, just down the street that Antonio had just come from. Antonio looked to see what was going on and saw a brown-haired boy, probably about sixteen or seventeen, with dull eyes watching the argument as he ate what looked like Chinese dumplings with chopsticks. He had on red Chinese clothes and had messy hair. Antonio did a double take and noticed that the boy had huge eyebrows, though not as large as Arthur's were. From his side, Antonio heard Arthur curse lowly. A sliding sound alerted him to Arthur putting his blade away. Antonio turned back to face the group, still feeling very confused about all that was happening. He had just wanted to know where the coffee shop was…

"Fine," Arthur said grudgingly. "We'll leave it at that for today. But know this!" He turned to Antonio and gave him a challenging gaze. "When we meet again—and make no mistake, we will meet again—we'll finish where we left off here."

"Sounds fine by me," Antonio said. Then he stopped and thought about it. "Well, unless I'm really in a hurry to get somewhere. Also, what if we both happen to go to the same restaurant, but we don't notice each other until we've started eating?"

Arthur stared at him like he couldn't believe what he was saying. Lovino coughed, though it sounded a little more like he was trying to cover up a laugh. Arthur glared again.

"Fine, then. Next time we meet, _if it's convenient_ (freaking _Princess_) then we'll settle this. Savvy?"

"Sure thing!" Antonio agreed. He met Arthur's gaze with a smug smirk and equally challenging eyes. "I look forward to it."

Arthur made a noncommittal noise. He was about to turn away when he suddenly stopped. "I'm Arthur Kirkland, by the way. I thought you might like to know the name of the man who'll be beating you into the dust."

"Antonio Fernandez Carriedo," Antonio answered. "For in case you want to know of the man who'll humiliate you so much you can't go outside anymore without everyone knowing your shame."

Arthur's return smirk had a dangerous, if amused, edge to it. "Oh, I'll be looking forward to this…" he muttered as he walked away. As Antonio watched his retreating back, he swore that he would take care of Arthur. He didn't know what this city had to offer, and he knew that making enemies as soon as he entered probably wasn't a smart thing to do. But Antonio also knew that he couldn't back down from any challenge, even those issued by Brits with anger issues.

"Hey, are you finished flirting with the guy already?" Lovino asked. Antonio started, whirling around to stare at Lovino blankly. He had forgotten that the other was there. He supposed that he should thank him, but Antonio honestly had everything handled. He had taken on guys twice Arthur's size before, and he was still around to talk about it. But, he had also been raised by strict teachings that he was to be polite to others. Well, at least to those that didn't try to inflict bodily harm towards him. He really supposed that he should thank the other man, especially since he was starting to stare at Antonio impatiently.

"Oh, we weren't flirting," Antonio told him. "We were just declaring that we would fight again when we saw each other again." Lovino stared at him in disbelief. Antonio pouted. He was tired of getting stared at like that today. This had to be the third time in ten minutes or something!

"I knew that, idiot!" Lovino yelled at him. Antonio winced. Lovino really did have a loud voice. "I was being sarcastic and mocking the both of you, Jesus Christ…" He broke off muttering, sliding his sunglasses back onto his face. He walked around the side of his car to the driver's seat and got in, starting up the car. When he noticed that Antonio hadn't moved from where he had been sitting, he raised an eyebrow. "Well, are you getting in bastard?" Antonio frowned.

"I don't think I should really be getting into cars with strange people I don't even know," he pointed out. "Especially ones that insult me all the time. Lovino groaned in frustration before throwing open the passenger side door.

"Look, do you want to know more about this city?" he asked impatiently. Antonio thought about it for a moment, weighing all of the pros and cons. He didn't really think that Lovino was all that dangerous. The other man, who was Italian judging from his accent, had a slim body so Antonio wasn't too afraid about getting overpowered by him. True, Lovino could have been hiding a gun, and judging from the way Arthur had pulled out a switchblade just like that, he probably was armed. However, Antonio had the feeling that if worse came to worse, he could overpower Lovino and incapacitate him enough for Antonio to get away. He could always retrace his steps afterwards so he wouldn't get lost. And after all that talk about Latinos and Germanics, he was quite frankly curious. Curious enough, even, that he decided that Lovino probably wasn't that much of a threat to him.

"Well, I would like to know what you two were talking about back there," he said as he got into the car. Antonio had barely put his seatbelt on before Lovino took off quickly, making a very wide and obviously illegal U-turn in the middle of the street. He raised one of his hands and flipped off the passerbies who were staring at him in shock and outrage.

"Eat my dust, Fucking Germanics!" he cried, speeding down the street. Antonio was starting to have second thoughts about getting into cars with strange people he didn't even know.

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><p>Lovino ended up taking Antonio back towards the direction of his apartment, which Antonio pointed out, and then past it towards an Italian restaurant. The way Lovino explained it, it would probably be better to just explain everything over lunch, especially since he was starting to get hungry, dammit. Antonio admitted that after unpacking, he was feeling a little hungry as well. They pulled up outside of a nice, cozy building wedged in between a couple of other buildings on a city block a few streets away from where Antonio lived. The restaurant looked nice and homey, looking like it had been there for decades. The street they were on now was vastly different from the one where Lovino had first picked Antonio up from. That street had been all concrete and buildings, specifically newer looking high-tech, where as this one had a couple of trees on the sidewalks casting shade down on the pedestrians, some older fashioned buildings, and fewer cars than Antonio had noticed with the other street. He was surprised that such a drastic change could take place so quickly in a city, especially when they couldn't have been very many blocks away from each other.<p>

Gawking at all of the different businesses, some looking like they were family-owned, Antonio followed Lovino into the restaurant in a daze. When they entered Antonio noticed that the décor was welcoming and inviting, with a clear Italian theme. There was a large Italian flag proudly displayed on one wall with pictures of the Italian countryside all around the walls. Also placed were a few other Italian artifacts around as well as a copy of Michelangelo's David standing next to a trickling wishing fountain. Along with the smell of authentic Italian food in the air, Antonio felt like he was in a little restaurant that really was in Italy. Antonio looked up from taking in the scenery and saw that Lovino was making his way through the restaurant towards an empty table in the back. Antonio quickly followed him.

"Do you want anything?" Lovino asked in a bored voice when Antonio sat down. As soon as Lovino had arrived at the table, a waitress had rushed over, pen and paper ready, to take their orders. Antonio didn't have a menu in front of him but he made a safe guess in assuming that they served fettuccini alfredo, and also ordered a garden salad with extra tomatoes. Lovino arched his eyebrows slightly before ordering the same. After their orders were taken, silence fell over the two as Antonio continued to look around in awe while Lovino stared at him.

"So, you're new to the city?" he started. Antonio remembered the reason why he had come with the other man in the first place and answered quickly.

"Yes, I'm going to be starting at the University next week, though I just moved in about a day ago. I haven't been anywhere yet, since I only finished unpacking today," Antonio told him. For some reason, he really wanted Lovino to know about all of this. He had this feeling that if he could just get out all of his side of the story, then maybe things would start to make sense. At the very least, Lovino would be able to tell him what he was missing. "I was just taking a walk to get to know the city better when I almost ran into Arthur. I was apologizing" –Lovino rolled his eyes, probably at the thought of apologizing to Arthur of all people- "when Arthur started going on about 'Latinos' and 'Germanics', whatever that means. It sounded kind of racist now that I think about it…"

"Right, so what you're saying is you know diddly-squat about the city," Lovino said calmly, like he was stating a fact. Antonio pouted again, feeling like he was being made fun of for his intelligence or something.

"I guess, if you put it like that," he said. "Is there something I should know?" Lovino looked like he was about to answer when someone came running up from behind and captured him in a hug. Antonio blinked, not having expected that. Judging by Lovino's swearing, he hadn't been expecting it, either. Antonio looked up at the intruder when he heard a French voice purring in Lovino's ear.

"And who might your cute date be?" the man asked. He was blond with chin-length wavy hair and a slight stubble around his chin. He was wearing very fancy designer clothes and looked quite handsome. Judging by the self-assured and confident half-smile on his face, he knew it, too. He looked over at Antonio impassively at first before a spark of interest flared behind his blue eyes. "Whoever he is, he's quite handsome. Big Brother approves—want to share him?"he asked Lovino with a teasing smile. Antonio gave the man a friendly smile. He didn't know who he was, but Antonio had a feeling he was a fun person to hang out with.

"Get off of me, Francis!" Lovino shouted, making wild movements to try and get the Frenchman to release his grip. It didn't seem to affect Francis who continued to hug Lovino nonchalantly. "And you're not my brother! And I'm not on a date, you pervert."

Francis' face quickly changed to one of protest. He let go of Lovino, though it looked more like he had forgotten why he was hugging Lovino in the first place. Lovino quickly sighed in relief, scooting his seat as far away from Francis as he could. That somehow brought him closer to Antonio, he was amused by his situation. He had forgotten why he was here, but it didn't matter. These guys were a lot of fun.

"I am not a pervert!" Francis protested. "I just happen to be a fan of love. Just because _you're_ too prudish to have sex with this hot guy doesn't mean we all are." Lovino's face flushed a bright red, something that amused Antonio. Before now, Lovino had seemed like this guy that was so cool, so sure, so in control. Now, though, he looked simply like a little kid that was being teased by his older cousin. Antonio thought that he might like this Lovino better than the first one he met. He was surprised when Lovino glared at him, face still red.

"And you, why aren't you upset about this?" he demanded. "This guy's practically saying that he wants to have sex with you." Antonio blinked. Oh, yeah… Francis was saying something like that. He looked over to the Frenchman who was regarding Antonio in contemplation. Antonio was about to answer him when they were interrupted, yet again, by a boisterous man who looked just like Lovino but in his thirties.

"Who's having sex?" he asked loudly, coming over to stand by the table. Lovino covered his face in embarrassment, but Antonio could still see the red of his face. Antonio looked on in amusement as Francis and this older version of Lovino greeted each other. They pointed and teased Lovino every now and then, but he could tell that it was all good-natured. It wasn't long, though, when the conversation turned back to Antonio. "You know, I don't remember seeing you around here before," the older man said to Antonio, leaning forward on the back of Lovino's seat. "How do you know my grandson? I could have sworn I knew all of his little friends…and especially his boyfriends." Lovino choked on air, it seemed. Antonio didn't pay much attention and instead smiled at the man…who was Lovino's grandpa? He really didn't look it.

"Actually, I only just met Lovino today," he told them. "Also, you really don't look like you could be a grandfather." The man stared at him for a moment before bursting out into laughter, slapping Antonio on the back.

"He's a keeper, Lovino," he told his grandson. "You treat him well, and I'm sure he'll return the favor in kind." The man looked at Antonio in consideration for a moment. "It's a shame he can't fight, though…" he muttered, almost to himself. Antonio laughed a little uneasily, sweating in his seat. It would probably be best for these people to _not_ know how well he was at fighting. Luckily the others took his actions as embarrassment for the first part of his statement. Lovino groaned, looking up at his grandfather with a frown on his face.

"Grandpa Romulus," he whined. Antonio couldn't help the little smile that was on his face. Lovino whining was so cute, somehow. "I'm not on a date! This loser is new to the city, and I brought him here to explain a few things. He was trying to take on Arthur Kirkland singlehandedly, without a weapon or anything." Romulus and Francis stared at Antonio differently from before, like they were re-evaluating what they saw.

"You tried to pick a fight with Arthur?" Francis asked, clearly surprised. His mouth slowly morphed into a smirk. "Nice. I thought I was the only one around here who would do that." Antonio pouted, again feeling like he was being made fun of. By now their food came, and Lovino dug in hungrily. Antonio poked around at his, eating a nibble every now and then. He wasn't that hungry, anyway.

"I didn't pick the fight," he insisted. "Arthur, or whatever his name is, almost ran into me when we were turning a corner on some street, and then he started going on about my tan, and my accent, and calling me a Latino or something. Actually, Lovino was going to explain what those meant to me." He looked over at Lovino expectantly, as did Francis and Romulus. They pulled up chairs at their table, eager to hear what the young Italian would have to say. Lovino paled slightly at having to be put on the spot like that, but he eventually leaned back and fixed Antonio a level gaze.

"Okay, there are a few things you need to know about this city," he started. "One of those things is that there are two gangs who have different halves of the city." Antonio frowned at that. Nothing in any of the texts or advertisements that he had read about the city mentioned anything like that. Then again, they were probably trying to keep it quiet, so that way more people would come. Lovino continued on. "The Latinos are one of the gangs, and the Germanics are the other. Arthur is part of the Germanics, and the street that I found you on is part of their territory. Are you following me so far?"

Antonio's confusion was finally starting to lift, which was good. He really didn't want to spend his whole college career feeling confused…at least, any more than necessary. "But then why did he call me a Latino?" he asked. "Granted, I guess you could say that about my ethnicity, but he still seemed to think that I was part of the gang or something."

"Everyone in the city is divided between Latino and Germanic, even if they aren't actually in a gang," Romulus explained. "It's partly racial, since the two groups are based on your ethnicity. For instance, you're clearly Spanish, Francis is French, Lovino and his brother are Italian, and I'm Roman." Antonio was about to point out that that shouldn't have been possible but he was kicked under the table by two sets of shoes, making both of his legs sore. He sent a baleful glare at Francis and Lovino, but they only shook their heads minutely, resolutely looking at Romulus as he continued speaking. "Technically, we should be called the 'Latin's', but more people know the term 'Latino', so we stick with that. It doesn't matter if you join or not, to everyone in the city you'll still be a Latino."

That didn't really seem that fair to Antonio. Here he was, all new in the city and already he was being labeled without doing anything. That wasn't how Antonio wanted to live his life. He didn't want to conform to everyone's rules, especially if they were stupid. Categorizing and splitting the city in two just by their ethnicity? Not only did that feel like it should be illegal, Antonio didn't feel like it was very moral. He may not have made some very moral choices in the past, but he did have a strict sense of what was right and wrong. You don't just tell complete strangers how to live their lives, or even that they aren't welcomed in a part of the city without even doing anything. It just wasn't fair, and Antonio wasn't going to go along with it. He was just about to get up and leave, hopefully never to bother with these strange people again when he remembered something that he heard earlier. He still didn't have all the answers to the city yet, and he wasn't leaving until he had them.

"You said something to Arthur earlier," Antonio said to Lovino. "Something about the Asians? Who are they, and why did that guy back down when you mentioned them?" To his surprise, Romulus started swearing when he heard this. Now Antonio was really curious. What could have made him so upset? What _were_ the Asians after all?

"They're a neutral party in this whole bloody turf war," Francis said, leaning back in his chair casually. "They want nothing to do with us, and they won't tolerate any fighting on their territory."

"Wait, they have territory too?" Antonio asked. "This is all kind of confusing…"

"They have the center of the city," Romulus said. "The city is divided between the North, which belongs to the Germanics, and the South, which belongs to us Latinos. Then there's the very center, which divides the two halves; this is what the Asians control."

"Yeah, and they're all fucking nuts," Lovino muttered. "Nobody wants to fight them, 'cause a lot of them know fighting better than we do. There's an unspoken Law that no one's to fight on their turf, otherwise there's trouble for everyone. Cops get called in, and even if they aren't the Asians will deal with it. Nobody risks a fight around them, even if you're on the very edge of the city."

"Well, that's good to know." Antonio looked back at his plate that had barely been eaten on. He just wasn't hungry. He wasn't even sure if he really wanted to know these people anymore. Francis seemed like a really nice guy, and Lovino was pretty cool, too. Romulus wasn't even that bad. But, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be involved with the same things that they were. True, Antonio had no proof that these men were actually part of this street gang but he had a feeling that they were close to it. Antonio knew that it seemed kind of bad, what with his not wanting to associate with these nice guys just because he didn't want others to think that he was with them. But, if he really thought about it, he could convince himself that it was okay this way. He had decided to cut all ties to his rough past; if he stayed with them, it might come out again. That was something he didn't want to happen. Antonio wanted to be known for his own merits now, not for his mistakes in the past. If it meant having a nice, peaceful life at the University, then that's what it would take. He was still a new face in the city, but now he knew how it worked. He could definitely make a life for himself here.

And anyway, who was to say that he would ever see these people again? Antonio dug through his pocket and pulled out enough bills to cover his part of the bill. He stood up and stretched, giving everyone one of his famous smiles. Well, not the evil ones that he used to give, but the ones that his Grandmother Emma used to say would light up the whole room. He missed his Grandmother Emma. Things just weren't the same after her death. But that was in the past, and this was the present. That was all that mattered now.

"Thank you for teaching me about the city," he told Lovino politely. Lovino frowned up at him, looking slightly confused. Romulus and Francis were also staring at Antonio, though Francis looked a little sad to see him go. "Also, thank you for taking me out to lunch. I think I know a little more about this city," he finished, looking out at the street outside the restaurant.

"Oh? You talk like we won't see you again," Romulus said lightly. Antonio shrugged, turning back to the elder at the table.

"Well, you never know, right?" Antonio answered. "I came over here to study at the University, so I probably won't have much of a social life for the next couple of years."

"That sounds absolutely horrible," Francis told him earnestly. "Are you sure you won't want to go out partying sometime in the future? I know all the best spots around."

"Thanks, but I kind of had enough partying and socializing to last me for a while already," Antonio apologized, scratching the back of his head. He didn't notice the interested look that Romulus gave him as he left the restaurant. Antonio stood out in the sun, relishing in the heat. It hadn't even been that cold inside, but just coming out Antonio already felt like he was warmed by several degrees. He took this as a good sign for his time in the city to come. He looked around, taking in familiar landmarks. It was time to get back to his apartment. He could always look around the city later, and pick up his books some other day. He wasn't in any big hurry.

* * *

><p>A few months had passed since his confrontation. Antonio probably could have forgotten about it if it weren't for the fact that the city wouldn't let him. While he was on campus and in the middle of the city, Antonio could almost believe that the city really wasn't split across the middle. But whenever he stepped foot outside of the safe confines of these two 'neutral areas', the looks and dissention started. Antonio tried his best to ignore it and was even making friends with others around him. However, most of them seemed to be other Latinos.<p>

No! Antonio couldn't think like that. He wasn't a Latino! I mean, technically you could probably make that argument though he would say that he was Spanish, since his relatives were from Spain, but that didn't seem to matter to these people. Either way, he wasn't going to identify himself by their labels. He was Spanish, not Latino, not German. He was a person.

Antonio kept up this line of thinking for quite a while. He had even managed to make friends with a proud Germanic, named Gilbert Beilschmidt. Antonio didn't know what position he played in the gang, and quite frankly he didn't care. Whenever they hung out together (only on campus and in Asian territory; Antonio tried not to feel frustrated) they always had fun and never even mentioned Gilbert's gang ties. They didn't really mean that much, apparently, and Gilbert was like Antonio—determined to prove his worth for his own self, not who he was born as. Gilbert was currently working on a PhD in engineering. He was making promising progress, and already was employed at a mechanics even though he hadn't finished school yet. Gilbert told him once that it was fun fixing cars, but what he really wanted to do was design them. He had shown Antonio a design that he had made for a new engine, but Antonio couldn't really understand it. To him, it was only a bunch of squiggly lines. However, he could appreciate the great effort and work that went into designing it. Whenever Antonio saw Gilbert with spare time on his hands, he was usually designing something else.

Gilbert reminded Antonio of how he used to be back in high school. Gilbert was wild, he loved to party and more than once Antonio caught him either right before he was about to go to a fight or right after. Usually he won. But, there was also another part of him that longed to make something more of his life. Maybe this was what brought the two together as friends. Either way, Antonio was grateful.

During the couple of months since his 'confrontation', Antonio hadn't seen any of the people he met that day since. He hadn't forgotten the promise that he made to Arthur, nor had he forgotten the advice that was given to him from Francis, Romulus, and Lovino.

Lovino…

Antonio didn't know why, but he had been thinking about the Italian man lately. It might have been because he was in the mood for Italian food lately, and he couldn't forget that one restaurant that he had eaten at once. Antonio had tried, but he hadn't been able to find that place again. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to find it. He had told himself that he was better off not knowing those people…but then he made friends with Gilbert, who was clearly part of the Germanics. Antonio started feeling conflicted. Should he really reject these other people because of their hinted gang ties when he was already good friends with someone who had definite ones?

Antonio had been thinking about this lately. He still wasn't sure what he decided in the end. It didn't matter anyway, since one day when he came home he found that his apartment door was already open. Antonio was used to living in big cities where you had to be wary of the occasional breaking and entering. This was his first in Pangaea, but not his first in his life. Antonio knew what to do in these sorts of situations, including if there was someone still in there. Judging by the light coming from the gap between the door and the door frame, along with a shadow passing by every now and then, there was clearly someone still in his apartment. Antonio set his jaw. He hated it whenever his place was broken into. It was something left over from his wilder days. There were things that Antonio had agreed to, whether he knew it or not, when he decided to become a hooligan. One of those things was that he had to accept getting the crap beat out of him just as much as he beat the crap out of others. He also had to accept getting attacked randomly on the street by those who challenged him, and he had to answer each and every one of those ceaseless, endless challenges. But there was one thing that Antonio absolutely could not, would not accept and that was people breaking into his home. His home was his only safe haven from the world, the only place that he was sure that he wouldn't have to fight for his life in. It was where he could relax and pretend like he was just like everyone else. But when someone intruded in on that sanctuary without being invited…

That was a sure way to make Antonio pissed off. And a pissed off Antonio was not someone you wanted to meet alone in a dark alley, or alone in his own apartment. Some things were sacred. This asshole trampled all over that.

Antonio knew that he was probably overreacting, but dammit that was his apartment. There wasn't even anything valuable in there! He set his face into a glare and threw open the door, hoping to catch whoever was inside off guard. From there, he would throw himself on the intruder and make him wish he had never been born. What really happened was that he threw open the door and was met with the sight of a slightly panicked looking Lovino pacing in his living room. Antonio didn't know who was more surprised, Lovino or himself. Antonio stared at the Italian, dumbfounded. All of his righteous anger and fury left him just as quickly as it came.

"Lovino?" he asked, just to make sure. Lovino glared balefully at him, looking resentful for some reason. "Why are you in my apartment? No, wait, how did you even get in here? How did you even know where I was?"

"Stupid," Lovino said, sitting down on Antonio's couch like he owned the place. That irritated Antonio, but he chose to exercise enough patience to listen to him. And, if he didn't have any good explanation, Antonio would just have to throw him out. Sad, so sad. "You told me where your building was when we first met. I just came over here and asked the apartment manager which room was yours."

"And he told you?" Antonio asked in disbelief, sitting down in his favorite armchair. Lovino shrugged.

"For me, he did," was all he said on the matter. "After that, I just picked the lock and waited for you. As for why…" He paused, looking down at his clenched hands uncertainly. Antonio felt his irritation dissipate. Lovino seemed really upset about whatever he was there for. "I came because I need your help," he said in a remarkably small and fragile voice.

Without thinking, Antonio said "I'll do what I can. What's wrong?" He didn't care how Lovino came to be in his apartment, even if he _was_ still a little miffed. The other man seemed genuinely upset. Antonio hated to see people upset. He hadn't known the other man for very long, and it was several months since they had last seen each other, but Antonio already had the feeling that Lovino didn't usually get upset like this. He looked like he was about to cry, and that was one thing that Antonio didn't want. He never could handle people crying, especially ever since his mother found out that his father was cheating on her when he was seven. It was people in general being sad that most upset Antonio. If there was something he could do that would help, then he would do it.

Lovino looked up at him warily, as if gauging his reaction. Maybe it was Antonio's quick assurance for help, but Lovino looked like he wasn't sure if Antonio would really help him out. He looked to the side, seeming to weigh his options. Finally he took a deep breath and stared Antonio straight in the eye. "My brother," he said. "Feliciano. He's kind of a dumb-ass, but he's my kid brother so I have to look after him." Antonio nodded along, feeling that Lovino was still hesitating over what exactly he should tell him. Lovino suddenly sighed, frustrated. He rubbed his hand over his face, looking tired. "Okay, you need to know some things first. For instance, my brother and I…and my Grandpa Romulus. Grandpa Romulus is the head of the Latino's, and I'm the heir. Feliciano's the favorite, but I'm more competent so I'm going to inherit everything." Lovino paused, looking Antonio over again. "You know what that means, right?"

"That you're a mob prince?" Antonio asked. He probably would have been more shocked if he hadn't met Gilbert first. "And you and your brother are really important?"

"Exactly," Lovino said. "Since we're the grandsons of the leader, we're naturally looked upon to set an example for everyone else. Unfortunately," he muttered, "Feliciano's about to make the worst mistake of his life."

"How so?" Antonio asked. He was intrigued now. Lovino gave a long-suffering sigh.

"The idiot's fallen in love with some practically no-name member of the Germanics!" he exclaimed. Almost as soon as he did he gasped and clapped his hands to his mouth. Lovino looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone had heard him. Antonio almost thought that Lovino might have believed that some random person would pop out from behind a piece of furniture and accuse him or something. Antonio had to force himself not to smile at Lovino's actions; he probably wouldn't appreciate Antonio smiling when he was clearly upset. "Do you know what a big deal this is?" Lovino hissed, his voice barely above a whisper. "The grandson of the leader of the Latinos with some underling from the Germanics? It's a scandal! This is the kind of thing that could bring us both down, and my stupid, idiot of a little brother is willing to throw all that away just so he can be with some Germanic guy!"

"I'm sympathetic, really," Antonio said, "but I just don't know what it is that you want me to do. What _can_ I do?"

"I—I don't know," Lovino acknowledged. "But, I remember you were really upset about the whole thing with the Latinos and the Germanics, so I figured that you might help. You know, since you're kind of neutral and all…"

Antonio frowned. "But aren't the Asians supposed to be the ones who are neutral? Why can't you just as one of them for help?" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"On paper, they are," he told him. "But you have to be careful about who you talk to. Some have friends who are Germanics, some who are Latinos. Some are more biased towards one side than the other, but they all agree that they just want to be left alone and out of the fighting. You're the only one who actually _is_ completely out of everything." Antonio guessed that that made sense. It sounded like Lovino was really worried, and Antonio was the only one he could turn to. Antonio was needed…and he would not let Lovino down! He still wasn't quite sure what it was that they would end up doing, but he knew one thing.

"Excuse me for a moment, Lovino," Antonio said as he stood up. "I have to make a quick phone call."

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, Antonio agreed to hold a meeting about what to do in his apartment. Showing up were Lovino, of course, and Antonio's new friend Gilbert. Antonio figured that it would be better for them in the long run if they had someone from both sides at these meetings, so that way they could have a better idea about what to do in the future. Plus, Antonio kind of wanted to see what Lovino and Gilbert's reactions to each other were. Hey, they were interfering with his studying and entertainment time, so he figured that he was entitled to mess with them a little. Lovino arrived first, still not knowing who the other person arriving was.<p>

"Are you sure this is a good idea, bastard?" he asked for the seventh time, pacing along the length of Antonio's living room. Antonio watched him as he made his turn, heading back to the other side of the room.

"Oh yeah," Antonio assured him. "He's a good buddy of mine. Plus, he owes me one for bailing him out of jail the other day. He'll help." Lovino didn't look reassured, but Antonio just supposed that he was only anxious. He looked over at the clock on his wall. It was five forty-four. Gilbert should be here soon; good thing Antonio gave him a key to the apartment already.

"The Awesome has arrived!" a loud voice came from the front door just as it slammed open. Antonio grinned as his friend posed in the door way for a moment before coming inside. Gilbert always knew how to make himself at home. "Hey, 'Tonio! Sorry you had to go without my Awesome presence for so long. It must have been a shock."

"It's okay, Gil," Antonio told him, getting up from his seat to greet his friend. "I had Lovi here to keep me company until you came."

"What the hell's a 'Lovi'?" two voices asked in unison, one confused and one angry. Antonio moved out of the way so that Lovino and Gilbert could see each other. The two gang members stared at each other in shock. Antonio wondered if they were on good terms. When Lovino pulled out a gun—a gun!—on Gilbert, who glared in annoyance, Antonio decided that they probably weren't. Well, unless this was how they showed affection or something. You never knew. For instance, Antonio knew two people back home who were really in love but every time they saw each other they tried to kill each other; well, at the very least they tried to maim the other person. In fact, if he remembered correctly one had even managed to bite off one of the other's ears. Antonio wondered what Sadik and Heracles were up to now…he also wondered if one of them was dead by now. Well, there was no way to find out what Lovino and Gilbert's relationship to each other was unless he asked.

"Are you two good friends?" he asked, looking between Lovino and Gilbert. He took no notice of the gun. It wasn't like this was the first time he had ever seen one before, and at least it wasn't pointed at him. Plus, Gilbert could handle himself. Lovino turned his head slightly to stare at Antonio in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm holding a fucking gun on him, and you're asking if we're 'friends'?" he asked incredulously. Gilbert snorted, used to how Antonio thought and acted by now. Antonio shrugged uncertainly, suddenly feeling like he had asked something really stupid.

"Are you not?" he asked. "You never know how two people might show how they care about each other. So, how _do_ you both know each other?" Gilbert shrugged and moved to sit on Antonio's couch. Lovino's hand jerked, keeping the gun on the other at all times.

"Well, you probably know by now that shorty over here is the grandson of one of the gang leaders?" he asked Antonio. Antonio nodded, also taking his seat. Lovino looked between the two again before sitting as far away from Gilbert as he could. Somehow that brought him next to Antonio. Gilbert raised his eyebrows. Lovino blushed. Gilbert went on, ignoring this. "Well, so am I."

Antonio blinked, looking back and forth between his two friends in confusion. He just couldn't see it. "But, you two don't look anything alike," he finally said. "Also, Lovi, you didn't say that you had another brother. And Gilbert, I'm pretty sure you told me you were with the Germanics. How were you able to switch sides like that?"

"No, you idiot," Lovino groaned, finally putting the gun away. "He's the first grandson of the leader of the Germanics!" Oh. That made a lot more sense. Now Antonio just felt foolish. Gilbert smirked at him, clearly enjoying himself. Antonio glared balefully at him. It wasn't funny; how was he supposed to know this stuff when he didn't grow up with it like how these two have?

"Wait, how come you never told me you were the heir to the Germanics?" Antonio asked. He had thought that he knew a lot about his friend. They had shared a lot with each other, including Antonio's past. He was feeling a little betrayed by this point, but he still held out hope. Maybe it had just never come up or something. He wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he hadn't meant to deceive Antonio. That thought made him feel better.

To his surprise, Lovino snorted in amusement while Gilbert looked down at his clenched hands and glared. Antonio felt like he might have stepped on a landmine. Did he ask something that he shouldn't have?

"It's because I'm not," Gilbert said finally. "The heir, that is. That's my little brother. Supposedly, I'm illegitimate, so the 'honor' of being the gang's heir fell to my little brother."

Antonio furrowed his brows. "What do you mean 'supposedly illegitimate'?"

"Can't you tell?" Gilbert asked, looking up at Antonio with his head still lowered. "I'm albino. I don't look a thing like any of my family, so they think I'm not one of them. I'm still the boss's grandson; I'm just not worth much."

Antonio didn't know what to say about that. He didn't know that Gilbert had all of this weighing down on him. It seemed there was still a lot more that he didn't know about his friend. Antonio resolved that he would become a better friend. It looked like, to him, that Gilbert was lonely. Here he was, the first grandson of the leader of the Germanics but he was pushed away for his younger brother. He was told that he wasn't wanted, so he had to work harder than ever to prove that he was worth something. If Antonio had thought that he didn't want to be part of this whole turf war thing just because they wanted to lump him together with the Latinos because of how he looked, then he had no idea how Gilbert must feel about all of this. At any time, Antonio could just leave. Leave the University, leave the city, hell, even leave the country if he wanted to. He could do all of this, and he would be able to leave behind the stigma of the city forever. Gilbert wasn't so lucky. He was born into this, and he was trapped just as much as Lovino's brother was. Antonio wasn't sure if he wanted to take on both gangs, but he knew one thing—something had to change.

"So, what did you call me over for?" Gilbert asked, back to his usual self again. It was like his brief bout of depression had never happened. Normally Antonio would have checked to make sure that his friend was really okay, but he was willing to drop the issue. They had other things to work on, anyway. Antonio looked over at Lovino, since it was his brother's problem that they were there for. Lovino looked at Antonio angrily, not liking to be put on the spot. He coughed, then turned back to face Gilbert. Gilbert arched an eyebrow, waiting.

Lovino took a deep breath. Antonio could tell that he didn't want to be there right now. "It's about my brother," he began.

"Little Feliciano?" Gilbert said. "Why should I care?"

Lovino glared. "Because he's currently in a relationship with one of your underlings." Gilbert stared at him.

"Well, shit."

The 'meeting' went on for a while. In the end, Gilbert and Lovino agreed to temporarily team up with each other to deal with this, though they both made it known that the only reason they were even working together was because the other person knew Antonio. Antonio felt loved. What they decided was that they would help the two love birds meet each other, and eventually they would help them leave the city. Once that was done, then it wouldn't matter if they were together. The only problem (well, one of them at least) was that Feliciano was Romulus' grandson and very cherished. His boyfriend, Alfred F. Jones, was the protégé/apprentice guy of Arthur, who was a very high-up member of the gang. It would take some time getting things set up, but Antonio was optimistic. Lovino really wanted to help his brother, even if he wouldn't admit it, and Gilbert was ready to do what he could to screw over his Grandfather's people. With a plan in mind, they split up for the night.

Antonio walked Lovino to his door. Gilbert had already left, since he had to pass on the message to Jones about what was going on. Lovino looked up at Antonio, emotion showing through his eyes. It looked like his tough-guy demeanor had slipped for a moment. "Thanks again," Lovino said gratefully. "I…I don't know what I would have done—what _Feliciano_—would have done without you."

Antonio smiled. "It's no problem," he said. "I'm just glad that I _can_ help. If you ever need my help with something else, just come see me okay?" Lovino's face flushed. He looked away, toying with the hem of his shirt.

"Y-yeah, okay…bastard." Antonio learned a while ago not to take any of the swears that Lovino said against him to heart. He mostly didn't mean it, and it was just something that he did when he didn't know what else to say. Antonio could understand that, though he had never really had that problem before. Before Antonio could say anything else, Lovino left. Antonio watched him as he walked down the hall and couldn't help but wonder when he would see the Italian again.

* * *

><p>It was a lot harder getting Alfred and Feliciano to meet without others knowing about it than Antonio had originally thought. Alfred wanted to take Feliciano to the movies, and Feliciano wanted to go out to a nice dinner afterwards. This was really hard to pull off since they couldn't be seen together without others coming in to interfere. Once, another gang battle had almost threatened to break out if it weren't for Alfred and Feliciano's Japanese friend Kiku walking in at the last moment. Somehow, the situation dissolved into a fierce game of musical statues. Antonio's <em>really<em> not sure how that happened, but it didn't matter to him. Not at all. So what if he ended up getting twelfth place? All that mattered is that things didn't get out of hand.

Unfortunately, apparently both heads of the rival gangs started getting suspicious. It started out with Lovino being followed around on Romulus' orders, particularly whenever Feliciano was around. Luckily, both Lovino and Feliciano could easily evade the people that their grandfather sent out, but it was only a matter of time until Romulus finally sent out someone who could follow them. Antonio hoped to get Feliciano out of the city before then. As for Alfred, Arthur had stuck to him like glue a lot more recently. Apparently, Arthur had high hopes for Alfred so he was making sure that the American was being trained and not being influenced by 'undesirables' any more than necessary. It was getting harder and harder for Alfred to get away from the Brit long enough to spend some time with his boyfriend. The only consolation that he had was that Arthur mixed up Alfred and his twin, Matthew, quite a lot so he could dump his tail on his twin. Alfred didn't like to do this, though, if he could avoid it because it really annoyed his brother.

Tonight, though, Gilbert had come up with a perfect plan. Lovino would take his brother to a pre-destined meeting near the woods on the outskirts of the city at nine o'clock. Gilbert would bring Alfred, saying that he wanted to spend time with him since he was also 'awesome' or something like that. They would come about half an hour later, and Antonio would be waiting by the road side to make sure that nobody was followed. Then, they would let the two lovers talk for a while, probably for the last time before they left the city, and then they would leave the same way they got there. Antonio looked at the calendar feature on his cell phone as he waited in the dark. There was a lamppost nearby so he wasn't in complete darkness, along with an old house and woodshed nearby. The place was deserted, perfect for the meeting that they had in mind. Feliciano and Alfred would be leaving in a week. It had taken some time to raise enough money to send them off with, but they did it. Antonio had no regrets. All that was left was this one last meeting so that they could finalize a few things and then they would catch an airplane the following week which would take them to New York. Antonio wasn't sure what they would do there, but he figured that was the point. The two of them could either settle down and live in the city or they could go to the J.F.K. Airport and take a flight to somewhere else. Either way, they would be free from Pangaea's influences.

Antonio shuffled his feet, bringing his jacket closer around him. The weather was still cold, being at the beginning of the year, but it was supposed to be getting warmer soon. Antonio wished it would hurry up; he could see his breath turn into fog whenever he breathed. He felt like frowning. It was times like this that made him wish that he still smoked.

He snapped to attention when he heard a sound to his right. He tensed up, ready for whatever came out at him. He relaxed, though, when he saw that it was just Gilbert leading Alfred along with him. Alfred looked around warily, jumping at every sound that came out of the dark. Poor Alfred; Antonio could understand not wanting to be out here at night. It wasn't exactly his ideal place for a chat, either. But, he supposed, that was exactly why it was chosen.

"Okay, lover boy," Gilbert said, shoving Alfred lightly ahead of him. "Feliciano should be just over there." Alfred perked up considerably and practically skipped over to his boyfriend. Feliciano smiled just as brightly and came over to meet him, talking a mile a minute. Alfred kept up with him and even managed to out-talk him, as well. Antonio thought that they made a cute couple. "So, where's Mr. Grumpy-Pants?" Gilbert asked Antonio. Usually Lovino liked to wait next to Antonio during these kinds of meetings, something that he didn't mind at all. Antonio really could have used the other man's body warmth on this kind of cold night. Antonio sighed, sending a great cloud of mist out in front of him. He missed Lovi…

"Lovi said that he was going to run over to the convenience store to pick us up some coffee," he said. "He should be back soon." Gilbert grunted and sat back on an old wooden fence post. Antonio wished that Lovino would return soon. After a while, he heard voices coming their way. Antonio shared a look with Gilbert. That wasn't a good sign. Antonio motioned that he would take care of the people coming towards them. Gilbert nodded and hurried off after Feliciano and Alfred. Antonio wished that the two loudmouths could be just a little quieter than usual.

Antonio brusquely walked down the dark path, keeping a careful eye on where he was going in the dark. Soon enough he came across a group with flashlights and other loud people. With any luck, their own noise would drown out Feliciano and Alfred. Antonio walked closer, about to try and come up with an excuse for why they should turn back when he recognized some of the people in the group. Namely, he recognized Lovino in the center, separating a group of Germanics from a group of Latinos. Arthur and Francis were in charge of the groups, respectively. Everyone was glaring at each other while their leaders were demanding answers from Lovino. Antonio's eyes flared when he saw this. Lovino was looking around him wildly like a trapped animal that was cornered on all sides. He had two covered coffee cups clenched tightly in his arms, practically hugging them to himself. Lovino was scared. Antonio didn't like this. Who were these people to scare Lovino? He didn't even bother to listen to what was being said as he strode straight into the crowd.

"Hey, Lovi," he said as brightly as he could, his teeth and jaw clenched with anger. His eyes were narrowed, but he tried to keep the anger off of his face. There was no need to add to Lovino's terror. "You brought back the coffee! Great, but I don't remember you saying you'd be bringing back others."

"Antonio," Arthur said in a clipped tone before Lovino could say anything. "I should have known that someone like _you_ is behind this. Where is he?"

Antonio tried not to let his annoyance at Lovino being interrupted show. He thought that he might have failed. "Where's who? Lovi and I are on a nice date, and all of you are interrupting." Lovino blushed, but that could have just been because of the cold in the air. Francis arched an eyebrow, smirking slightly at the two of them.

"I knew there was something going on between the two of you," he said. "But now really isn't the best time. We know that Feliciano's here. I followed you two all the way to the town's edge, and he hasn't left yet. Where is he?"

"And where's Alfred?" Arthur demanded. "Don't think that Gilbert fooled us."

"Aw, I didn't?" Gilbert's voice came from behind. Antonio turned around and saw only Gilbert walking towards them. Catching his eye, Antonio got the message that he had hidden the other two away safely. When the Germanics saw Gilbert a few started muttering. One smirked over at him, though it didn't seem like it was an antagonistic smirk. Gilbert must have been friends with that one. As Gilbert walked over, he nodded at the others who were with Arthur.

"Hey, Matthias. Lukas. Berwald. Roderich, what are you doing out here? Aren't you usually with my brother or something? Also, _how_ did you get over here with _your_ sense of direction? Oh, hey Vash. That explains a few things. Matthew, how's it going?" Gilbert walked by the group of Germanics casually enough, chatting with each one he saw, slapping a few on the back and joking around. To all who looked at him, he appeared perfectly casual—except to Antonio. To him, Gilbert's shoulders looked tense, his laugh was just a little too sharp, and his eyes darted around too much. Gilbert came to stand next to Antonio and Lovino. He looked at Arthur in boredom. "And why are you here?" Arthur clenched his teeth, looking like he was holding himself back from punching Gilbert outright.

"We're here looking for you and Alfred," he ground out. "Where is he?" Gilbert glanced around the large group, looking like he wasn't concerned at all.

"How should I know?" he asked back. "Isn't he your little servant or something? I thought it was up to you to look after him, not me."

"_I KNOW HE'S HERE!_" Arthur shrieked. "I saw him follow you from the bus stop, and I saw you come up here! _NOW WHERE IS HE?_"

"Temper, temper Arthur," Francis said mockingly. "We're not losing our composure, are we?" Arthur's return glare was acidic. Gilbert watched all of this in boredom. Antonio pulled Lovino closer to himself. Lovino seemed thankful for this, since it took part of the attention off of him. Wordlessly, he handed Antonio one of the coffee cups, which was starting to turn lukewarm by now. Antonio didn't care. Lovino was much warmer than any old cup of coffee anytime. He was a lot more comfortable and easy on the eyes, too.

"If you're asking about hero-boy, then I have no idea where he is right now," Gilbert said, drawing attention back to himself. "As for why the Awesome Me is here, it's because I came up here with Antonio and Lovino." Francis and Arthur regarded Gilbert shrewdly.

"But they've already said that they were up here for a date," Francis pointed out. Gilbert paused briefly and then shrugged.

"Yeah, so?"

"So they why are _you_ here as well?" Arthur demanded. Gilbert looked over at Antonio and Lovino and then back at the two groups again.

"Threesome?"

That was not the right thing to say. In any other circumstance, with any other group of people, his statement would have been laughed at or not even taken seriously. However, what Gilbert was proposing was that he, the Grandson of the Leader of the Germanics, was going to be in a threesome with some no-name guy who was pretty much a Latino as well as the Grandson of the Leader of the Latinos. Both groups did not take this very well and started yelling at each other again, some even threatening a gang war. Antonio had had it with the way that everyone was acting right now. All he wanted to do was snuggle up someplace warm with Lovino, and instead here he was with a headache as he watched these two gangs get ready for a street brawl. He was about to turn to leave towards a wood pile that he had been eyeing earlier when Arthur turned to him suddenly.

"Don't think I've forgotten about our little fight, Latino," he said with a razor-sharp, dangerous grin. Antonio stared at him, feeling so over all of this. Arthur was on the other side of the group, so Antonio had plenty of time to waltz over to the woodpile to get something that he had had his eye on since earlier. When he reached the woodpile he was surprised to see Feliciano and Alfred huddled up next to it, both with grim looks on their faces.

"They're fighting about us, aren't they?" Alfred said. He looked resigned, but also like he felt he was guilty for all of this happening. Feliciano was sniffing slightly, looking like he was trying not to cry. Antonio didn't know the two of them that well, but he already felt a little protective of them. It was this stupid gang fighting that was behind all of this. Because of the fighting, Alfred and Feliciano couldn't see each other as anything more than enemies. Because of this, they were huddled over here, hiding from their friends and family and watching them fight because of them. It just wasn't right. Antonio set his jaw, his eyes fiercely determined.

"It's not your fault," he told them. He looked over at the pile and saw a rather large ax that was resting next to the stacks of wood. It was still in good condition; excellent. Antonio really didn't want to have to go after the others with a block of wood. That would have made him feel silly. He wrenched the ax out of the ground and hoisted it over his shoulder. "It's because all they know is hate for each other. You two did nothing wrong—if anything, it's all _their_ fault. Don't forget that." Antonio turned around and started sauntering back towards the crowd. He knew he would hate himself later, but he had to do something to diffuse the tension. If that meant reverting back to how he was back in high school, then so be it.

…he really hoped Lovino didn't think any differently about him after this. Gilbert would just wonder why he hadn't come with him bar-hopping before.

The noise from the group, as well as the tensions, were growing and growing until they finally hit a crescendo. Just as the first punch was about to be thrown a rather large ax came out of nowhere. It landed right at the edge of the group, narrowly missing hitting someone. A hush came over everyone as they stared at the ax in disbelief, and then slowly lifted their gazes to the person who had thrown it. Antonio.

He had thought that, if he ever decided to go back to his wicked ways again, it would be hard to do so. It had definitely been hard to quit being bad and start acting like a normal person. By the same logic, he had thought that it would have been hard to remember how to be his old self again. He was mistaken. It had been surprisingly, frighteningly easy to revert back to his high school self. The Conquistador. It had always been something of a joke between himself and his 'friends'. They had been studying about world history and had come to the chapter about the Spanish conquistadors. His friends had thought that their harshness had seemed exactly like how Antonio had acted like back then. The name stuck, and his reputation spread. As Antonio walked slowly towards the crowd, rolling his shoulder until it cracked, he saw that his reputation must have even spread out this far.

Oh, this will be fun.

"Okay. I think that's enough, don't you?" When Antonio looked around at all of the dumbfounded people he tilted his head to the side. "No? You want more fighting?" He wrenched the ax out of the ground again, this time holding it at eye level and pointing it at those before him. He smirked easily, the same steely glint from before in his eyes. "Then who's first? I'll keep chopping away until someone decides that they'd rather talk than die." An uneasy silence settled over the area, everyone staring at Antonio. He didn't dare take his eyes off of the two gangs to check on Gilbert and Lovino. They could take care of themselves if worst came to worse. A few murmurs started flitting around, all about him. Antonio was wondering when they'd realize who he was.

"That's the Conquistador!"

"Who?"

"You know, the one that took on all those guys!"

"I heard that he was up against fifty armed men and he _killed them all_!"

"I heard somewhere that he died, though."

"Idiot! He's obviously right there, or did he just decide to come back as a ghost?"

"Don't yell at me…"

"Wait, so does that mean that Gilbert and Lovino were _friends_ with such a scary guy?"

"Yeah, and apparently they were going to have a threesome."

"Stupid, that was obviously a lie!"

"Are you really sure you want to call him out on a lie, though?"

"I once saw him gut a person with an ax. As long as he has that one, we need to be careful."

"Uh…I just remembered, I need to be someplace else. Can I go home?"

Antonio felt like rolling his eyes. His reputation really did get out of hand. Everyone always talked about his 'victories', but the truth was he was beaten down just as many times, if not more. But that's not what people cared about. When you were a legend, they tended to look at your accomplishments instead of your failures. The fact that Antonio later went back and beat down all those who had beaten him before probably helped, too. But any way, it was still annoying hearing people gossiping about him while he was _right there_. You know, with an _ax_ that he could easily use to attack them with? He sighed heavily, turning the ax towards the two leaders, Francis and Arthur. Francis openly stared at him in shock. There was a calculated look in his eyes. Antonio had a feeling that Romulus would be hearing about this later. As for Arthur, he too seemed a little surprised but he hid it well. He faced Antonio down, unafraid even though he was weaponless while Antonio had an ax in hand. It felt like they had switched positions from when they had first met. Antonio decided that he was tired of all of the chattering and stares. He wasn't an animal on display at a zoo or anything, geeze.

"So, are you all ready to talk?" he asked again. When he didn't get any opposition, Antonio smiled. He saw quite a few people shiver when they saw his smile. Looks like he still had it. "Good. Here's what we'll talk about. All of you are going to leave, and me and my friends are going to continue with our fun-filled evening out here, where no one can disturb us. Okay?" When it looked like a few people were going to protest Antonio raised his ax again. "Okay?" Muttering hatefully, the gangs started leaving in twos and threes. Soon only Arthur and Francis were left.

"You'll be sorry about this," Arthur said with finality. He wasn't threatening. He was promising. Antonio shrugged. Like he hadn't heard such things before. He knew how to protect himself, and as soon as his schooling was over he was leaving this city behind. Any threats made against him weren't really that scary. Arthur left soon after leaving his message. Francis hesitated, looking between all three men left.

"You could have told me, you know," he said finally. Antonio wasn't sure who he was talking to. He wasn't able to find out, either, since Francis left as soon as he said it. Antonio finally lowered the ax down again. It wasn't as heavy as the ax he was used to, but it had still been quite a while since he last waved one around threateningly. His shoulder was stiff. He'd have to fix that later. He turned around to check on his friends. Gilbert made some excuse to go check on Feliciano and Alfred, leaving Lovino and Antonio alone. Suddenly, he felt awkward for some reason.

Lovino stared at him, his face blank. Antonio couldn't tell what Lovino was thinking. His face was a mask. Antonio laughed awkwardly, not sure what to say. Was Lovino upset at him? Disappointed? Did he not care? Maybe he was angry because Antonio had kept that side of him hidden away. There was no other way of finding out, however, other than just going ahead and asking. "So, Lovino," he started, cringing slightly at how awkward he sounded right then. "Should we go see what the others are up to? I think we can bring your brother and Alfred back safely now." Lovino kept staring at him, though his mouth slowly morphed into a frown.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you were the Conquistador?" Lovino demanded. Antonio winced. That accusation hurt more than he had thought. "Did you think I would be upset or scared or something? You've seen what my life is like, it wouldn't have mattered. If anything, it would have made my Grandpa like you even more." Lovino's face suddenly flushed completely, making even his ears a bright red. "N-not that you really _need_ Grandpa Romulus' approval or anything stupid like that. I mean, it's not like…like you've done anything so that he…_has_ to approve of you. I'm just going to shut up now," he trailed off weakly, looking away in embarrassment. Antonio only felt a sense of elation, though he knew that he had to explain himself to Lovino before the Italian took his omission the wrong way.

"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be known as the Conquistador any longer," he told Lovino, stepping closer. "That's not who I am anymore. I just want to be known as Antonio, the student at Pangaea University who hates all of this gang violence that's dividing the city, and who's infatuated with a friend of his." Antonio's cheeks were tinted red from the last part of what he said, but Lovino didn't notice. He frowned even more, looking over his shoulder at Gilbert balefully.

"Gilbert, right?" he said petulantly. "Of course. After all, you two look good together. A-and, you have a lot in common. Yeah. Of course you would like Gilbert…I mean, if you went for those Germanic types."

"I mean you, Lovino," Antonio said, taking another step forward. They were practically chest to chest now, their shared breath mingling in the air and turning into vapor. "I like you." Antonio couldn't help the pleased smile when Lovino's lip started trembling and he grabbed onto Antonio's jacket front. He looked up at Antonio with wide, hopeful eyes. Antonio could see himself reflected in them. He gripped Lovino's chin lightly, tilting his face up to meet Antonio's. He leant down, their lips mere centimeters apart—

"Hey guys!" Gilbert shouted, making Lovino and Antonio leap apart from each other. Antonio glared at his friend. "I've got the love birds; we should leave before the others decide to come back. As much as he wanted to argue, Antonio couldn't go against that kind of logic. They had been lucky enough to scare the two groups off before, but Antonio wasn't sure he could do that again if they brought back their own weapons. It would be safer for everyone to go ahead and go home. Antonio sighed dramatically, mourning his lost moment. He started heading down the trail towards the train station when he felt someone come from behind and grab his hand. Antonio, startled, looked down and saw that Lovino had a firm grip on his hand, holding on like it was a lifeline. Lovino's face was still flushed and determinedly looking away. Every now and then, though, he could see Lovino's eyes flicker over towards him. Antonio smiled and squeezed Lovino's hand. The walk back to the train station was very pleasant.

Though, Antonio did punch Gilbert later for interrupting a beautiful moment between himself and Lovino. Some things just couldn't be forgiven.

* * *

><p>Antonio, Lovino and Gilbert were able to successfully get Feliciano and Alfred out of the city. The two gangs noticed, of course, but by then it was too late. Romulus raged around, upset that his precious grandson had pretty much eloped away with some Germanic underling. The Germanics were just as upset, though that was mainly because Arthur helped fuel the rage. He didn't like his protégé getting 'seduced' by a Latino, and he made sure that everyone who came across him knew it. It looked like there would eventually be a huge gang war when Lovino and Gilbert, the first grandsons of both leaders, came forward and somehow managed to convince the two sides to calm down. It took quite a long time, but eventually peace was obtained.<p>

It turned out that Romulus wasn't angry so much because his grandson had eloped with a Germanic as that he was upset that he wasn't invited to the wedding. Everyone wondered exactly what his priorities were.

About two years after Antonio first arrived in the city, the two gangs disbanded. The city breathed a sigh of relief, since it was tired of having to choose between the two sides. Antonio never wanted to believe that the credit for this went to him, but almost everyone involved agreed that the peace between the two groups wouldn't have been possible without him.

Antonio and Lovino, after all was said and done, stuck together until the end. When it looked like the fighting was over, they officially started dating. At first Romulus didn't approve, since he was still sore about Feliciano running off. When he found out about who Antonio really was, he insisted on throwing their wedding party. Lovino spluttered and said that they hadn't even talked about marriage yet. Antonio shrugged and said that Romulus could do what he wanted, as long as he invited Antonio's friends from the Germanics too. Romulus shrugged, too happy that he was finally throwing a _proper_ wedding party for one of his grandsons.

Feliciano and Alfred eventually came back to the city, but only after it was clear that there wasn't going to be anymore fighting between the two gangs. They were both chewed out by their respective friends and family, but in the end both sides agreed to put a rest to things.

Gilbert never did end up succeeding his grandfather, but that was mostly because his brother Ludwig was much more competent with business matters than he was; it had nothing to do with illegitimacy. Gilbert was okay with that. He spent the rest of his time working on cars and designing engines. Gilbert managed to build up a name and reputation for himself in the world or automobiles, and he did quite well with himself.

Antonio and Lovino also managed to do quite well for themselves. Because of Antonio's work ethic, he graduated with top honors, securing a good position for himself in a local company that was hiring on. It took some time, but he eventually was promoted to Vice-President. Lovino continued working at his family's restaurant, though he quite when Antonio had been promoted a few times. He figured, why work when Antonio can make enough money for the both of us? They lived their lives happily, though every now and then one or the other would get called out to a fight. They didn't let this bother them, and were quite content.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Two; Next Up!—It's Ninja Vs. Samurai; Place Your Bets.<em>


	33. Life 32 Ninja v Samurai

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 32; Ninja v Samurai  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Samurai!Antonio x Ninja!Lovino; Antonio is charged with bringing Lovino to see his boss. The whole world wants peace, but all these two really want is each other.  
><em>_Rating__: T for language, character death (it's OC's, so I don't think you'll actually mind).  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Language, character death (of OC's), brief showing of Matthew, my bad writing skills, a probably awkwardly written fight scene, an awkward love scene (why do I fail at romance so much, yet I insist on writing for it?) etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Gilbert, Matthias, mentions of Feliciano, Romulus, and Matthew.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino.  
><em>_Word Count__: 9,424.  
><em>_Notes__: So, this chapter didn't really go as I wanted it to. I'm still okay with it, though. And I know that you all don't really care about my ramblings, so I'll shut up. Oh, and Matthew was supposed to have a bigger role, but things didn't really go according to plan. As always._

_On another note, this chapter was actually supposed to be put up yesterday. However, I ended up in a fight with my mom so the internet was turned off. Sorry for the late chapter (I'll really try not to let it happen again, OTL (whatever that means))._

* * *

><p>Antonio sighed as he was kicked in the stomach, yet again. Someone else in his position would have let the man he was carrying go already. It definitely wasn't worth all of the bruises that he was sure to get in the morning. However, he was under orders to bring the man with him to meet Antonio's boss. Antonio <em>could<em> have just let the man walk on his own, but he couldn't do that. You see, Lovino was a ninja. The only way that Antonio could be sure that he would be able to safely, and correctly, deliver Lovino was by physically carrying him. Unfortunately for him, though, Lovino wasn't feeling very cooperative.

At least he had quit screaming in Antonio's ear by now. Antonio wasn't sure if he'd be able to hear anything out of his right ear for a while, but he wasn't that concerned. As a samurai, he could handle anything that came his way—including an upset ninja. Another well-placed kick to Antonio's kidneys knocked the wind out of him. He turned his head to glare at Lovino.

"Look, can you stop kicking me already?" he grouched, though he had a feeling that he was being ignored. "If you keep doing that, I'll end up falling—and I'll take you with me."

"Sure, I'll stop kicking you," Lovino answered back, to Antonio's surprise. His voice was deceptively sweet, though. "If you let me go, I swear I'll stop kicking you."

"Sorry, I can't do that," Antonio replied, shifting Lovino over his shoulder so that he was more comfortable. "My boss said to bring you to him, so that's what I have to do. I can't betray my boss, or my oath of loyalty." Lovino grumbled some more, but he kept mostly silent. He also stopped kicking for now. Antonio didn't know how long that would last, though. He chose to try to cover as much ground as he could before the feisty ninja started up again.

Antonio didn't know why his boss wanted Lovino. He didn't ask, either. If his boss wanted a ninja, then as his retainer and loyal samurai, Antonio would deliver up a ninja. It was risky and dangerous work even trying to _find_ a ninja, let alone a specific one. That wasn't even mentioning what capturing one would be like. Quite frankly, it was dumb luck that let Antonio catch Lovino. They had been at a rest stop when Antonio learned that the man next to him was his target. While Lovino's back was turned to ask the waitress for another tomato Antonio struck him in the back of the head. The blow didn't knock Lovino out, like how it was intended to, but it dazed him enough for Antonio to grab Lovino and throw him over his shoulder. Now, he was on the grueling hike back to his Master's mansion. They were almost there; if Antonio could hold on just a little longer, he could call some friends of his over to help with Lovino. Just a little farther, just a little farther… Antonio kept this mantra going through his head while he walked, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings.

There was a long-standing war currently going on between samurai and ninja, as well as between the people who employed the two. It was a long, bloody war, something that Antonio remembered ever since he was a little kid. According to his grandfather the fighting had been going on even when he was a little kid. Ninjas hated Samurai, and Samurai hated Ninjas. Samurai had to be careful whenever they went out of their home villages because Ninja would come up and slit their throats if they weren't careful. Ninja had to be careful not to let Samurai get a hold of them since Samurai were physically stronger, not to mention very quick and deadly with their swords. Antonio had made it this far safely enough, but he couldn't be sure that Lovino hadn't somehow sent a message to his comrades by now. For all he knew, there could be ninja lying in wait up ahead, ready to strike him down where he stood. As long as he made it to his village, he would be safe.

He continued walking for another hour before the large gates to the village started to appear on the horizon. Antonio wanted to hurry inside, but he couldn't let himself be distracted. Lovino had been quiet for a long time now…too quiet. Antonio had checked periodically to make sure that the ninja hadn't tried a body-switch technique on him, but sure enough it was still Lovino, pouting and looking generally put out with his situation. Antonio could handle a grumpy ninja, but a plotting one? Let's just say, at the first sign of one of his comrades he was calling them over to come and help. Antonio _really_ didn't want to have to go up against a group of ninja by himself, especially since he couldn't defend himself thanks to his arms and hands being full. When he was within fifty feet of the gate Antonio sped up. He made it another couple of meters when he heard a bush to his right twitch. Antonio froze where he stood. Lovino grumbled, poking Antonio in the side of the head.

"Why are you stopping, bastard?" he groused. "The gate's just right over there. Aren't you in a hurry to take away my freedom?"

Antonio frowned, but he didn't look away from the bush. "I'm not trying to take away your freedom," he told the ninja. "It's my job to bring you back so my boss can have a word with you. I don't have anything out for you personally."

"Well that's good to hear," Lovino muttered sarcastically. Antonio was about to walk away again when the bush twitched once more. This time Lovino saw it.

"…what was that?" he asked. Antonio couldn't tell if he really didn't know or if he was trying to trick him.

"Don't know," Antonio replied absently. He furrowed his brows. He couldn't waste any time like this; for all he knew, it was some little woodland creature that was hiding in the bush. Antonio glanced once more at the welcoming gates to his village. He decided to risk running towards the gate. If it really was some kind of attacker, then Antonio could easily catch someone's attention and bring them over for help. He couldn't depend on Lovino, even though he would have been a good choice for a fighting partner. Antonio gave the bush one last look before darting towards the gates. Over his shoulder, Lovino was cursing at Antonio for jostling him as he ran. Mid-curse, he started yelling at Antonio to hurry up. Antonio spared a glance back and bit back his own curse.

Bandits. He didn't know why bandits chose to set up an ambush so close to the samurai village, but that didn't matter right now. Getting away did. Bandits were a nasty piece of work. They were dangerous, and they usually had any number of stolen weapons that they would use on their victims. They came after everyone, ninja, samurai and citizen alike. And unlike ninja and samurai who sometimes left the other alone or alive, bandits left no survivors, save those that managed to somehow get away. If there was anything in the world that ninja and samurai hated more than each other, it was bandits. It was the only thing that they could agree on, actually.

Antonio shouted ahead, warning the people at the gate that bandits were coming. Alarm bells went up. Shouting and yelling could be heard from behind the high, wooden walls. Antonio grunted with the exertion of having to carry Lovino while running towards the gates. Up ahead, Gilbert and Matthias waived to Antonio to hurry up. The sight of his two friends made him feel better; if anyone could take on a hoard of bandits by themselves, it was Gilbert and Matthias. They were easily two of the strongest samurai in the village as well as the best fighters. Once Antonio took a step past his two friends, they sprung on the bandits before they had a chance to run away. Antonio slowed to a walk, setting Lovino on the ground to the sounds of the bandits dying screams. Antonio checked Lovino over for injuries. The last thing that he needed was for the person he was delivering to have been hurt on transit. It may have seemed cold to phrase it like that, but Antonio had his orders from his boss. Lovino was to be delivered unharmed, no matter what. Antonio was lucky that he hadn't had to actually fight the ninja to get him to come with Antonio back to the village. When he was satisfied that Lovino was about as unharmed as could be expected, as well as safely within the walls of the village. There was no worry that Lovino would run away.

"Hey, Antonio. Didn't expect you to have such a flashy entrance." Antonio turned around and smiled as Gilbert swaggered over to him, cocky grin in place. They clapped each other on the back in greeting.

"Well, I didn't really expect to run into bandits on the way home."

"Nah, just some blood-thirsty ninja bastards, am I right?" Matthias teased Antonio. When they noticed Lovino stiffen and glare, Matthias shrugged carelessly. "No offence." Antonio maybe even believed him. Lovino doubtlessly didn't, though. He continued to glare and looked away. It almost looked like there was a pout on his face. Lovino wasn't just sitting back, though. Antonio saw that his eyes were darting around the area, no doubt trying to figure out the layout. It wouldn't help, though. This village was heavily fortified, particularly against ninja attack. There was no way they were going to let one leave.

"Well, the boss wanted to see Lovino," Antonio finally told his friends. "We should get going before we make him wait too long." With that, Antonio put his hand on Lovino's shoulder and led him towards the main house. He tried not to let Lovino's flinch at his touch affect him too much.

The main house wasn't really a house, per se. It was where the main offices and official business of the village. It used to be a house, once, but nowadays it was used as the Boss's main offices and for various other official duties. Antonio was supposed to take Lovino over to the Boss, so that was where they would go. Antonio had Lovino lead the way so that he could keep an eye on him. They passed a few people that Antonio knew, but he couldn't stop to say hi just yet. The boss would want to know that they were back now, and Antonio had a feeling that the boss would want to talk to him about the capture. Antonio led Lovino up the stairs and into the old building. The Boss himself was waiting in the front hallway. Antonio bowed at the waist, showing Lovino forward.

"Boss," Antonio said. "I've brought Lovino Vargas, just as you asked." He didn't have to look up to know that Lovino was glaring at the Boss. Antonio couldn't make him stop, though, without breaking protocol. He had to keep a professional demeanor, at least while his boss was around.

"So you're the bastard who had me kidnapped," Lovino accused. Antonio bit back an angry retort. His Boss could handle himself. "Why did you have me brought here? What do you want with me?" Antonio thought he could hear a slight tremble in his voice. Lovino must have been a lot more scared that he had originally thought. Antonio felt guilty all of a sudden. He knew that he had been a little rough with Lovino earlier, since he had carried him over his shoulder for the better part of a day by now. He was probably terrified out of his mind, especially after almost being attacked by bandits like earlier. Maybe anger was the way that Lovino showed his fear? If so, then he could give the guy a break for insulting his boss like that. His boss didn't react badly to the accusations, though. He smiled warmly at Lovino, throwing him off track.

"I'm sorry that we had to meet under these unfortunate circumstances," –Lovino snorted— "but I assure you, I don't mean to hold you here against your will. You are a guest of mine, and I regret the way that you've been treated." Antonio panicked, shooting his boss a worried, questioning look. His boss looked over at Antonio and chuckled, smiling reassuringly. "No offence meant at all to you, Antonio. I merely meant that, what with the bandit attack from earlier as well as the…_ahem_, circumstances surrounding Mr. Vargas being brought here, he probably hasn't been feeling very welcome."

"That's an understatement," Lovino muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The boss's eyes turned sorrowful.

"I truly am sorry that I had to get your attention this way. But, I feared it was the only way."

"Well, I'm here now so what do you want with me?" Boss gazed sadly at Lovino and Antonio for a moment before turning away. He walked slowly towards the window and looked outside. Even from where he was standing, Antonio could hear the people of his village outside, no doubt chatting with friends, making deals in the market, living their lives. Antonio wondered what exactly his boss saw when he looked out there at everyone, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask. He would believe and trust in his boss; he was a good man, one that Antonio highly respected. He wouldn't have worked with him or listened to what the boss said otherwise, and the same went for every other samurai, too. This was partly why Antonio didn't complain or question his orders to go out and kidnap Lovino. There had to be a good reason behind his actions, and he trusted that his boss would make those good decisions.

"Mr. Vargas, do you like your village?" the boss asked suddenly. He continued to look out the window but Antonio saw the troubled expression on his face. "I'm quite sure you'll say yes, since you seem to me to be a very loyal individual. But what I want to know is, are you willing to do whatever you can, no matter what that may be, to protect your village, your people, your family, your home?"

"What kind of question is that?" Lovino snapped. "Of course I do! Is that some kind of threat?" Lovino narrowed his eyes shrewdly, suddenly defensive. Before now, he had merely seemed resigned but now he looked like he was ready for a fight. Antonio adjusted his stance accordingly, ready to protect his boss should he have to. Antonio really didn't want to attack Lovino, though, but he would if he had to.

"You misunderstand me," Antonio's boss said, turning finally to give Lovino a calming smile. He didn't look like he had even noticed that Lovino looked like he was about to either attack or try to fight his way out of the village. "I didn't mean to imply that I was threatening you or your village; quite the opposite, in fact."

Lovino blinked, slowly lowering his guard. "What do you mean?"

Boss smiled. "I brought you here, Mr. Vargas, to convey a message back to your boss for me. I wish for peace between our two villages. I'm sorry that I had to get your attention in this manner, but I'm afraid this was the only way that I could be sure that the message would be delivered."

Silence fell over the hall. Lovino, and Antonio, stared at the boss in open shock. Was he serious? Antonio's first instinct was to say that his boss was always serious and that he always knew what to do and what was right. But this seemed a bit much. Peace? Between the ninja and the samurai? Was such a thing even possible? Antonio supposed that in theory it was, but he couldn't believe it. There used to be stories about a time before the war when the two groups got along with each other, but that was so long ago it was hard to believe. They had been fighting against each other for so long that it seemed that there would never be an end unless one side was taken out…permanently.

The boss looked at Antonio and Lovino, watching as his news really sunk in. Lovino twitched, finally showing some sign of movement after hearing that. "You…you can't be serious," he croaked in a raspy tone of voice. He blinked quickly, and it sounded like he was trying to catch his breath after not breathing for a while. "F-forget for a moment like this whole 'peace' talk is even true," he continued, his voice sounding a little stronger, a little surer. "Why me? Why am _I_ the one you tell this to? I know you asked the bastard over here" –he jabbed a finger at Antonio— "to kidnap me specifically. How come it had to be me?" Antonio had been wondering something similar. Why this particular ninja? True, there were many around the country but to ask him to seek out a specific one meant that the Boss had to have had a plan in mind for Lovino specifically. Apparently that plan was to deliver a message. But that didn't make any sense. Antonio's boss could have asked him to pick out any random ninja that he had met along the way to bring back. Any one of them could have delivered the message. Why did it have to be Lovino?

"That's because you are important, Mr. Vargas," the boss answered. "I picked you because you are close enough to the leader of the ninja village that he would take notice of your disappearance and pay attention, and I chose you because of your record. You are an agile and very capable ninja. You are also someone whom your leader will listen to without doubt to what you say. I want to make sure that my message is delivered as well as listened to carefully. The reason why I had Antonio bring you to our village personally is so that you can take a look around. I want you to be able to report about what you see, specifically about my villagers. I am hopeful that your leader will listen to our request for peace and agree. No one wants a war anymore. However, there is still the prejudice between both of our villages that carries on the hatred that causes war. I'm hopeful that if you can see what we are truly like and you tell your leader about this, then perhaps we can put an end to this bloody, violent conflict."

Lovino scowled and looked away. He was silent for a moment, no doubt thinking over what Antonio's boss had said. Antonio kept silent. This was a decision that Lovino had to make for himself. Antonio's job was just to bring him to meet his boss, not influence him. As much as he wanted to finally have an end to this pointless war, he couldn't say anything. Instead, Antonio had to trust his boss and Lovino, hoping that the ninja made the right choice. Lovino narrowed his eyes and looked over sharply at Antonio's boss.

"What happens if I say no?" he asked shrewdly. "What if I decide that I don't want to deliver your message? What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, I shall be disappointed," the Boss said simply. "But disappointed is all that I'll feel. Not anger, not wrath or revenge. If you choose to say no to my request, then that's it. I'll have Antonio escort you out of the village and half way back to yours, and nothing more will come of this. I guarantee that no harm will come to you while you are with Antonio, no matter what your decision."

Lovino frowned but looked thoughtful. Antonio started feeling a little antsy. He wanted an answer, but he knew that if he tried to rush the decision it would turn out bad. Lovino finally looked up. He gave the boss a considering look. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'll deliver your message. I can't guarantee that my grand—my boss will listen to it, but I'll deliver it. Don't expect me to do anything else for you, bastard!"

The Boss smiled gratefully, glad that his message was going to be delivered. "That's all I ask. I suggest that you stay here for the rest of the day to rest and then set out early tomorrow morning. Antonio will be traveling with you as my representative…"

Antonio snuck another look at Lovino. He felt a surge of sudden warmth in his chest at getting to travel with Lovino again. To his surprise, Lovino was staring right back at him. He wore a smirk on his face. Antonio had the feeling that maybe he wouldn't like traveling together after all.

* * *

><p>They left early the next morning. Lovino huffed, tired of having to wait for Antonio who was still saying goodbye to his stupid friends and a few other people. He may have agreed to deliver their stupid message, but that didn't mean that he was suddenly super close to them. These people were the ones who kidnapped him <em>just to pass on a fucking note<em>, so he was still wary. He looked back at where stupid Antonio had knelt down and was saying goodbye to a couple of little kids. Lovino's chest clenched, thinking about the children at his own village. When Antonio, that bastard, had first come up to him and knocked him unconscious, the very last thought that he had had before losing consciousness was that he would never see his village, his brother or grandfather, or anyone else that he cared about again. The entire time that Antonio had been carrying him on his shoulder yesterday Lovino had been trying to escape. He knew that he had to get back to the village before anyone worried.

The reason why he had been at that rest stop is because he had been out on a mission. Lovino had had another fight with his brother Feliciano, so he was staying out of the village for as long as he could before he actually had to go back. That was when Antonio came in and kidnapped him. Lovino forgot all about his fight with his brother. He even forgot what it was about. It didn't matter anymore—especially since at the time it seemed that he would never again see Feliciano's face again. Now that he had the chance to return to his village again, technically two days after he was supposed to return. Lovino looked out the open gates of the samurai village. He wondered if they noticed that he was gone longer than he should have been. He wondered if they were worried about him. According to the stupid boss of the samurai, Lovino was important because he was 'close' to the leader of the ninja. Well, this was true in a sense; Lovino was the leader's eldest grandson. However, all that meant was that he was important enough to go out on missions by himself and receive special training. This didn't mean that he was anything special to the leader himself. That honor went to Lovino's _younger_ brother Feliciano. Lovino scowled. The stupid samurai messed up. Who they really should have taken was Feliciano, not Lovino. Everyone else was always picking stupid Feliciano over Lovino anyway; he was surprised that the samurai hadn't done that, too. Maybe it was because Feliciano was supposed to stay in the village while Lovino went out on missions. If they had even known about Lovino's brother, they would have taken him over Lovino in a heartbeat.

"Ready to go, Lovino?" He looked over to see Antonio smiling down at him. Lovino's frown deepened. Why was this guy smiling at him? Didn't he remember that he had just kidnapped Lovino the day before? And now he was being led straight into the heart of the enemy village. Was this guy stupid or something?

Just another person to pick Feliciano over him, anyway.

Lovino turned away and headed off down the road. He didn't know why he even had to have this guy escort him, anyway. Antonio's boss had said it was because he was going to be his representative or something. Lovino totally didn't even care that he was going to have someone to travel with, either. Those bandits didn't scare him. And who cared if Antonio happened to bring his giant sword with him? It's not like Lovino was impressed or anything. Everyone knew that samurai were muscle-headed idiots who had more brawn than brains. Ninjas were of course superior, since they were faster, sneakier and all in all better than stupid samurai.

And, if it just happened that Lovino got lonely on the way there, well, he wouldn't begrudge Antonio for company.

They continued walking for hours down the dusty dirt road. The main road was still a ways off, and they couldn't travel on it. Well, they could but it was generally agreed that they shouldn't. It was too easy to be ambushed down the main road, so it was standard procedure for ninja and samurai to travel down the lesser known side roads. They were walking on such a road right now, and Lovino felt like he could just keel over any time and die. Mostly it was because of Antonio who had decided that he suddenly wanted to know every single thing about Lovino. He had tried to ignore him for a while, but that didn't stop the samurai. If anything, it only made Antonio more determined to get to know Lovino. He hadn't stopped pestering him for the entire trip so far, and Lovino felt like he was reaching the end of his short patience and sanity.

"So what's your village like Lovi?" Lovino snapped. It was bad enough that this guy was making nice just because they were stuck together, but calling him by that stupid nickname? That just went too far. Lovino whirled on him and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"My name is not 'Lovi'," he snarled as best as he could. Lovino would like to say that he was usually very intimidating and that people quaked in their boots whenever he glared at them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen nearly as often as he could like to admit, and it clearly wasn't working for this guy. It looked like Antonio was trying to suppress a smile or something. Lovino narrowed his eyes. "Just because we have to travel with each other to my village doesn't mean we're suddenly pals or friends. Don't forget, you're the one who _kidnapped_ me." To his surprise, and annoyance, Antonio started pouting.

"Oh come on, are you going to hold that whole 'kidnapping thing' over my head for forever?" Antonio complained. "You know you would have done the same thing if you had been in my place. It wasn't personal or anything, just business." Lovino scowled. He hated it when people used logic against him, especially when they were exactly the sort of people that you wouldn't expect such a thing from in the first place.

"Whatever," he finally said, spinning around and continuing on. He didn't bother to check if Antonio was following along behind him. He knew that he was; he had to. Was Lovino planning on holding the kidnapping thing over Antonio forever after all? He didn't know. He could admit that Antonio was just doing his job. Lovino knew that. He could even admit that if he was in the same position, he would have done the same thing. He wouldn't have even lost any sleep about it. He knew that Antonio would have understood that he was just doing his job. So why was Lovino being so hard on him about it? If he was really honest with himself, it was because Lovino knew that there was nothing else about the generally happy samurai that Lovino could hate.

As a ninja, he had been raised to hate samurai. Fear them, even. But when he finally met one, and really got to know him, Lovino knew that there really wasn't that much difference between them. They both had their orders that they had to follow, they both had their friends and family that they loved and wanted to protect, and they both had a village that they knew would always be there for them. So what was so different about them? This was what Lovino hated to think about. If he admitted that there really was no reason to keep hating each other, then his whole life would have been lived as a lie. What reason did he have to hate them? Lovino didn't want to think about this. Instead, he clung to the actions that Antonio had taken against him, hoping that this would be proof enough that his hatred and anger were justified.

But Antonio was making this really hard to handle. No matter what kind of harsh words that Lovino threw at him, Antonio would just counter with the warmest smile that he had ever seen and just laugh it off. Lovino _really_ wasn't used to this. Whenever he had been an asshole in the past, people had just told him off and then went on their way. The only one who hadn't was his brother, and that was usually just because he would get a wounded look on his face and then whine to Lovino, asking him to be nicer. Antonio just ignored the harsh words and focused on everything else. Focused on Lovino. It was a bit much for him.

But what did it matter? What did it matter that this guy—virtually some kind of _stranger_—was being this…this _nice_ to him? After the job was finished and the message was safely delivered, then Antonio would be on his way. It wouldn't matter what Lovino's grandfather's answer would be. He would still never see Antonio again. So why bother falling for some guy you could never have?

Probably _because_ he could never have him. That was just the way Lovino was, though, so he figured that he would eventually get over his infatuation. Now, if only Antonio would just stop pestering him; Lovino's ears couldn't go any redder, he was sure.

* * *

><p>Lovino was so funny. Oh, he tried to act all big and tough, but it was just so cute to see someone like him bluster around. Antonio couldn't help the smiles that appeared on his face whenever he saw Lovino frowning away like that. And when he had tried to glare him down earlier? Priceless. He knew that it probably said something about him that he thought that the guy who was cursing him out and verbally abusing him like that was cute, but Antonio couldn't help it. He had a feeling that that wasn't who Lovino really was, deep down, and Antonio had always been attracted to those kinds of guys with 'inner depth'. The fact that he was just downright adorable on his own was definitely a plus.<p>

It was close to lunch time now, and Antonio wanted to make a good impression on Lovino. He had a feeling that Lovino was still holding a grudge against him for the whole 'kidnapping' thing, so he was determined to make it up to him. Antonio was hopeful that if he played his cards right and managed to make somewhat friends with Lovino then he would be able to see him more after the message was delivered. Who knew, maybe there would actually, finally, be peace between the ninja and the samurai. If that happened, then there were all sorts of opportunities that Antonio could take so that he could be around Lovino more often. But for now, he needed to start with baby steps. That meant that he had to take him somewhere nice out to eat, though preferably not the same rest stop area that he had first taken Lovino from. That would probably send the wrong message.

Antonio looked along the dirt road for anywhere that would be good for either a picnic or a nice rest stop. They needed somewhere to stop and rest at any rate. Lovino could probably keep going for a while longer, since he was trained with this sort of thing, but Antonio needed a break. They had been walking non-stop all morning, and it was beginning to take its toll. As Antonio looked around, he saw a nice looking rest area that also served tea and coffee. He smiled. He really liked coffee, and it was hard to come by at times.

With a grin he turned towards Lovino. He pointed over his shoulder at the rest area. "Wanna stop there for lunch?" He was careful to not call him by name, since he knew he would just use 'Lovi' again. Antonio couldn't help it. Lovino just seemed like a Lovi to him, so that's what he wanted to call him. Unfortunately, for some reason the ninja didn't like his new nickname. Shame. Lovino looked over to where Antonio was gesturing and considered for a moment before shrugging. Antonio's smile grew wider. Already he was starting to understand what Lovino's gestures and expressions meant! With a pleased little chuckle to himself, Antonio led the way towards the benches.

The rest area was set up like every other rest area that he had ever seen. There was one main building that was basically just three or four wooden walls that were set up for some kind of shelter for the cooking supplies. There was a large cloth that stretched out over a few of the benches that were set out for shade, but most of them were out in the open sunlight. There weren't any tables but that was okay since the benches were wide enough for a couple of people to sit comfortably back to back while they ate some of the quickly made food that the area provided. Usually Antonio himself would by some kind of tomato treat, usually tomato slices on a kebab stick with a few other touches of food such as meat, onions, potatoes and other foods that were part of a 'normal' diet. This was a smaller food stand than usual, though, so most likely they only sold dumplings. Antonio wasn't too worried. They also offered drinks, and he had made sure to pack a lunch for when he got hungry.

It was decided that since Antonio had had the opportunity to prepare a meal ahead of time, he would find them a bench to sit on while Lovino went and ordered something to eat and drink…with Antonio's money. Antonio wasn't too concerned, though. It was why he brought some with him in the first place. What did he care what it was being used for as long as it went to a good cause? And in this case, that good cause was for Lovino to get something to eat.

Antonio had just settled down on a bench that was a fair ways away from the other patrons when he felt someone staring at him. As casually as he could, Antonio took a bite of his lunch and started looking around as if he was watching the scenery. In reality, though, he was surreptitiously watching the people around him for indications that they were going to attack. It didn't appear like anyone was watching him in particular but you could never be too careful. Antonio cast another look at the forest that was off to his left but he couldn't detect anyone there, either. He was starting to grow a little worried. Antonio looked back to where Lovino was chatting with the man at the food stand. Antonio frowned slightly. The man that Lovino was talking to was a bit frail looking with wavy chin length hair that seemed blond at first but turned a bit orange near the tips. He had violet eyes that hid behind a pair of thin wire glasses. Despite the odd coloring, the man looked like the kind of guy that you forgot about easily. He and Lovino were in the middle of a somewhat intense looking conversation when Lovino suddenly looked up and over at Antonio as if he had been called by name. Antonio smiled and waved at him, not sure what else to do. Lovino rolled his eyes though his cheeks seemed a little darker than usual. He quickly collected his lunch and their drinks and headed over to Antonio.

Antonio checked back at the food stall and saw that no one was there. He forgot about the person who was just there and instead focused on the other patrons. When he caught Lovino's questioning look when he sat down Antonio offered over an apologetic look. "Sorry, I could have sworn that someone was looking at me earlier."

"You don't say," Lovino muttered quietly as he ate, like he hadn't meant for Antonio to hear his comment. Antonio frowned.

"You don't believe me."

"Wh-what?" Lovino stuttered, surprised. "When did I say that?"

"You didn't have to," Antonio replied, looking around uneasily now. He didn't even try to be discrete. All thoughts of finishing his lunch were gone as he searched around for some kind of invisible villain lurking around. In the past he would have compared the person to a ninja, but now he felt like that was doing the ninja a disservice. It felt prejudiced and wrong to say that now. They sat for another moment in silence. Lovino ate his lunch and Antonio took tentative sips from his coffee. He didn't like the ball of worry that was festering in the pit of his stomach right now. This almost never happened to him, but whenever it did it meant something bad was going to happen. Antonio cast sneaky glances at Lovino, ready to suggest they leave as soon as he was done eating. Eventually it seemed, though, that the ninja had had enough.

"What?" he snapped at Antonio, shocking him out of his trance. Antonio blinked. Lovino glowered. "You keep looking around like you expect someone to come out of nowhere and attack us. It's creeping me out." Antonio felt guilty. He was sure he looked it, too.

"Sorry, Lovi—Lovino. I just have a bad feeling like we're being watched or something." Lovino frowned. He packed away what was left of his lunch and stood up, stretching.

"Then we should get going," he said. "Just remember to remain casual. We'll lose them in the forest up ahead." Antonio couldn't argue with that, since the plan seemed simple enough. He stood as casually as he could and stretched as well. He gave Lovino a smile that seemed to surprise him for some reason. His cheeks flushed. Antonio would have spent all day watching him but he knew they needed to make good time if they wanted to get to the ninja village by sunset. Most likely they would actually reach the village by tomorrow morning but Antonio was optimistic. He led the way back on to the dirt road and set off with Lovino walking along beside him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before they both heard the tell-tale snap of someone stepping on a twig.

They paused, looking around them. The sound clearly came from the forest that was surrounding them on all sides. Judging from the number of footsteps that they could hear, there were at least three opponents. Antonio looked around and sighed. He and Lovino could definitely take these guys, but it would take some time. Time they probably couldn't afford to waste. A moment later the three bandits came out of the trees, moving to surround the two of them the best that they could. Antonio frowned. Why did it always have to be bandits?

* * *

><p>Lovino was starting to get seriously annoyed by this point. All he really wanted was to get home already so he could leave the stupid samurai before he fell even more. And now these bandits came out of nowhere, <em>again<em>, and they were stopping him from getting home. It was like the whole world was conspiring to keep him with Antonio or something.

The bandits smirked to each other and looked like they were about to start blustering to each other in some kind of 'congratulations to us, we're going to beat you up, rob you blind and then maybe kill you' speech. Lovino struck the bandit closest to him before they even had a chance to open their mouths all the way. As a ninja, Lovino knew all about the importance of attacking your opponent before they could. He jumped, knocking the bandit to the ground. He pulled out one of his hidden knives and struck, hitting the bandit in the arm. It looked like the bandit knew what was coming so he raised his arm to block most of the attack. In the same motion, the bandit raised his other arm to try and hit Lovino. He rolled off, taking the knife with him and missing getting hit. He rolled over into a crouch, keeping on the same general eye level as the bandit who was still on the ground, holding his wounded arm close to him. From across the dirt road Lovino could hear Antonio attacking another bandit with his sword, holding him off. Good. Lovino didn't want to have to worry about the other one while he was still attacking. He chanced a quick look around the area. There were originally three bandits, one of whom was in front of Lovino right now while another was trying desperately to hold Antonio off. Where did the other one go?

Lovino's question was answered when the bandit in front of him suddenly looked up and grinned. Lovino swore and tried to leap out of the way. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around him, capturing the struggling ninja. Lovino tried to break out of the hold he was in but to no avail. The arms were too strong. The first bandit, the one that Lovino had wounded in the arm, stood up and sauntered over to Lovino. He could hear, distantly, Antonio calling for him. Lovino refused to answer or look away from the problem that was in front of him. He wouldn't be any use to Antonio if the stupid samurai got himself hurt when he was distracted. Lovino wouldn't distract him if he could and instead stared resentfully at the bandit with the wounded arm.

"Now, now," the bandit said. "Is that any way to treat the guy who has you at his mercy? If you annoy me too much, brat, I'll have to kill you."

"Good," Lovino answered back. "You clearly have no idea about ninja, do you? If we're captured, then we either try to escape or…well, there's no other option. Better I die than tell you anything." The bandit behind him grunted.

"Not a bad idea, boss." Lovino glared at them but didn't do much else. The idiots had forgotten that he had his knife with him. All he had to do was wait for the best opportunity to strike… A commotion from the side caught their attention. Lovino didn't bother looking over since he was waiting for the bandit to look away. From what he could hear, Antonio was suddenly attacking his opponent with some kind of renewed frenzy. He could hear the screams from the other bandit as he yelled for help from his friends. The wounded bandit that Lovino had faced off with faltered, looking like he was hesitating about whether to finish up Lovino or go help his partner. The bandit who had Lovino captured loosened his grip slightly, also getting distracted. Lovino smirked. He pulled his arm with the knife up and stabbed the bandit who was holding him in the arm, eliciting a painful yelp. He pushed away and used his momentum to turn around and slash at the bigger bandit, cutting his throat. Lovino, using his speed, turned back to his original opponent and faced off. The element of surprise was gone but that was okay. It was one against one now and it sounded like Antonio had finished up his opponent as well. The bandit was looking wildly between the samurai and the ninja, probably trying to figure out what to do next. Lovino didn't give him that option. He lunged suddenly and stabbed the bandit in the chest with his knife. The bandit's face froze in surprise as he fell to the ground, dead.

Lovino breathed heavily. It took a lot of energy to pull off those kinds of quick moves and he hadn't been able to practice in a while. He flicked his knife to get the blood off before bending down and wiping the blade off properly with the dead bandit's clothes. Lovino put his blade away properly, putting it back into its hiding place. He was just turning around to check on Antonio to see if he was injured or not when a sudden wall of warmth ran into him, binding him like how the big bandit had. Lovino froze and was about to pull out his knife again when he realized that the wall was Antonio. He was hugging him tightly, stroking Lovino's hair comfortingly. Lovino flushed as he realized the position they were currently in. Antonio was hugging him in the middle of a small dirt road in the forest with three corpses surrounding them. It wasn't exactly romantic, but Lovino had never felt so warm before. Antonio's arms felt _good_, and _right_, like they were supposed to be around him like this. Lovino lifted his arms, halfway giving in to the impulse to put them around the samurai. He stopped himself before he could do anything more than clutch at Antonio's robes.

"A-Antonio?" he asked in a shaky voice, embarrassed that he squeaked on the first syllable. Antonio's arms tightened around him. Lovino's brain was currently blanking out. He asked the first thing that came to mind. "Are you okay?" Lovino wanted to slap himself. The stupid samurai seemed like the kind of bastard who loved to cling to you all the time, but even this seemed a bit much. If he was clutching at Lovino like a lifeline, then obviously he wasn't okay.

"You're okay," Antonio murmured back to him, though he couldn't really tell if Antonio was talking to him or to himself. Maybe a mixture of both. "When I saw that those…those bandits had captured you, I was so worried." Lovino felt guilty for some reason, but he pushed the feeling aside. In its place grew a nice, steady warmth that threatened to engulf him. Lovino closed his eyes. He could stay like this forever…

"Lovino, please say something," Antonio asked in a strained voice. Lovino opened his eyes and was startled to see that Antonio's face was just a few inches from his. Antonio's eyes were so green, Lovino could feel himself getting lost in them.

"Wha-what should I say…bastard." He hadn't called the other that for a while. Then again, he hadn't really talked to Antonio in a while either… He had some catching up to do, he decided. Lovino distantly recalled in the back of his mind that he and Antonio really needed to go somewhere because of something important, but for the life of him he couldn't remember at the moment. He was feeling lightheaded and safe in Antonio's arms, and he couldn't bring himself to try to leave them. Antonio smiled at him, a smile that made Lovino's insides melt like butter. His face flushed yet again and if he looked closely he could see a hint of red on Antonio's cheeks, too. As a matter of fact, was his face getting closer…?

Lovino stopped breathing when he felt Antonio's lips on his. His brain shorted out and went blank. All he could concentrate on was that he was kissing Antonio, and it just felt so _right_. Antonio pulled away suddenly, looking a little…ashamed? What did he have to be ashamed about? Did…did he decide that he didn't want Lovino after all? Lovino took in a deep breath, both because he was starting to get a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen and because he wanted to try and steady himself. He told himself that he wouldn't cry, and goddammit, he wouldn't!

Antonio shifted his eyes away, blush on his cheek. "S-sorry," he muttered. Lovino felt his heart clench and his eyes water. "You…you probably don't even want to-" Antonio didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Lovino pulled him forward roughly and kissed him again, letting the stupid samurai know that hey, he really did want this, dammit. Lovino closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Antonio's neck, not letting him get the chance to try and pull away this time. He could feel Antonio freeze against him at first before kissing him back just as roughly and possessively as Lovino was doing. He could even feel a smile against his lips.

Lovino knew that their moment would end. They couldn't really keep making out here when they were surrounded by dead bodies. It kind of ruined the mood, and Lovino never wanted it to end. But, he knew that it would, and then they would have to leave to continue their mission. They might even end up having to go their separate ways after this. So, for now, Lovino let himself indulge. They were lucky to have met at all. Lovino knew, no matter how long he may live after this he would always remember this moment that he spent with this man.

* * *

><p>Lovino and Antonio finally made it to the ninja village the next day. They were careful not to let their relationship—or whatever it was—be noticed by anyone. Technically they were still enemies, so they had to be careful. When Lovino brought the message from the boss of the samurai to his grandfather, Romulus took one look at Lovino and Antonio and said that they might as well; he didn't want his grandson to be breaking any code that said 'no fraternizing with the enemy'. Lovino blushed and pretended that he didn't know what his grandfather was talking about. Antonio laughed a little uneasily as he looked at all the faces that were surrounding him.<p>

It took a while but eventually peace was managed between the samurai and the ninja. It helped that evidence came out to both sides that the bandits were the ones who were behind all of the enmity to begin with. It was profitable for them to have the two sides fighting against each other instead of with. One of the first actions that the two new allies performed together was wiping out all of the bandits that were in the immediate forest area. There was still some hesitation and prejudice that both sides had to work through, but they knew that the alliance was for the best.

Lovino faced his toughest decision ever when he decided to introduce his new boyfriend to his brother. This was really the biggest test, since everyone he ever brought home ended up trying to choose Feliciano over him. Antonio, however, passed with flying colors. He met Feliciano and struck up a nice amicable conversation with the younger brother, but he kept his arm tightly wrapped around Lovino the entire time. Lovino couldn't believe his luck. Antonio couldn't believe that Lovino thought that he would pick his brother over him. They were married the next year, the first of many marriages between the two villages. They were happy that their love was able to inspire others, and proud to have made the choice. The patch of woods and dirt road where they had first, in a way, admitted their feelings for the other would forever be their favorite spot. They would return every now and then to remember their first kiss together and think about all the moments that had happened afterwards as a result.

Of course, they did remember to move the dead bodies. There was something decidedly unromantic about having a nice spot that they could call theirs with bodies around the place.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Three; Next Up!—Maybe Robbing A Bank Wasn't The Best Idea…<em>


	34. Life 33 The Great ? Bank Robbery

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 33; The Great (?) Bank Robbery  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Bank robber!Antonio x Hostage!Lovino; Antonio had the perfect plan to rob a bank. Unfortunately, someone else had the same plan. Lovino is currently very much Not Amused.  
><em>_Rating__: T for brief language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Brief language, a somewhat short and incoherent chapter, my bad writing skills, not much of a romance, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, a crazy OC, and a few other OCs. I think that's it.  
><em>_Pairings__: Slight Antonio/Lovino  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,259.  
><em>_Notes__: This chapter didn't really end up like I expected. Big shock there._

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><p>Antonio's plan had been perfect. He had gone over every contingency that he could think of, he had played the scenario out in his head over and over again, and he had thought that everything was perfect. He was just supposed to go in, hiding his face from the cameras and place the mask over his head. Then he would lock down the doors and secure the exits. After that, he would calmly approach the bank teller and have them hand over all the money that they had lying out—he wouldn't risk any of the cash that was actually in the bank vault; those tended to have dye packs that would explode in his face. Then, he would leave the bank through the back entrance where he had a getaway vehicle idling and drive off to his drop-off point, picking up his actual car and then driving carefully home. He had clocked the time that it would take the police to get to the bank so he knew exactly how much time he would have. Antonio had even planned alternate routes and had bought a police scanner so he knew what the police were up to.<p>

He did not, however, count on someone else trying to rob the same bank at the same time, and doing a hell of a lot louder job at it.

"Alright, everyone shut up!" the other bank robber shouted, shooting off his automatic rifle. Several people tried to muffle their screams, but it didn't quite work out that well. Antonio huddled over behind a teller's desk. He held a struggling body in his arms, his hand held tightly over the person's mouth so that he couldn't make any sounds. Antonio swore in his mind. This was not the way things were supposed to go. He had just approached the teller and was going to tell him to put all the loose money that he had, like the kind that people handed over to be deposited, into his bag when the other guy broke in through the door, firing his gun as he went. Antonio hadn't stopped to think. He leapt over the desk, taking the trembling teller with him. He wasn't sure if the other robber had noticed him or not.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

"Everyone on the floor now!" barked the other robber. "Back up against the teller booths so I can get a good look at everyone." Antonio couldn't see through the wood but he could hear bodies on the other side moving up against the side. "You, tellers! Get over here and join the rest of us, single file!" Antonio felt the teller in his arms stiffen. One of the tellers standing next to him glanced down at Antonio and the person in his grasp but looked away just as quickly. Antonio felt that he knew what the other teller was thinking; it would be better if at least one of them didn't end up a victim to this mad man. He watched as the tellers moved around the side in a single file line, all holding their arms up. When they were gone Antonio pulled his mask off. It wasn't like he could use it anymore. "Okay, everyone hand over all your valuables! That includes your wallets, your jewelry, your watches, everything! If I even _suspect_ that one of you is holding back, I'll start shooting. I may not even start with the one who I think is holding back…"

Antonio sat back, listening to the other robber. From what he could tell about his looks from the brief glance Antonio shot him before leaping over the teller booth, the guy wasn't even trying to disguise himself. He had short-cut brown hair, was very muscular, had a nose that looked like it had been broken a few times and was holding a gun in each hand as well as one strapped to his back. He was dressed completely in black and looked like he was some kind of commando with a bullet-proof vest and straps across his chest that held his gear in place. That was about all that Antonio had seen before leaving.

Dammit. Antonio had planned a quick and easy get away. Now it looked like he would be lucky to leave alive. And if the police came in and checked the surveillance tapes, they would definitely see that he had also been there. As much as he hated to do this, Antonio knew that he needed some kind of insurance that he was going to leave peacefully. It didn't matter if the commando left before the police came, he would still be in a lot of trouble. Antonio looked down at the teller in his arms. The teller was a man a little younger than he was with brown hair and a slight build. The man also had a strange hair curl and was swearing, if muffled, through Antonio's hand that was still over his mouth. From the name tag that he had on earlier, Antonio knew that his name was Lovino. It looked like this guy would have to be his hostage after all.

Antonio carefully lifted his hand off of Lovino's mouth. He leant forward to whisper in his ear. "If I were you, I would keep quiet so the psycho doesn't hear us. Nod if you understand." Hesitantly Lovino nodded. Before he pulled his hand away completely, Antonio realized that it was wet. Lovino was crying; the poor guy must be scared out of his mind. As much as he hated himself for it, Antonio realized that he could use this. He turned Lovino around slowly and carefully, trying not to make any noise. Behind him, Antonio could still hear the commando ranting and raving. He was still yelling at the people gathered and was currently looking for the bank manager to open up the vault. Antonio breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the vault wasn't behind the teller's desk and was instead over by the far wall. He returned his attention back to Lovino, who was staring at him warily, as if expecting Antonio to suddenly turn on him and attack. Antonio tried to offer up a calming smile, which seemed to relax him some. "It looks like we're the only ones he doesn't know about back here," he whispered to Lovino. "We need to try to find a way to get out of here without letting that guy know about it. Then we can go and get help, okay?" Well, Lovino could go and get help. Antonio was planning on rushing back to his home so he could lie low for a while.

Lovino swallowed and looked over Antonio's shoulder at where the commando probably was. "I-I already stepped on the a-alarm s-system," he stuttered, barely keeping his voice a whisper. He was stressed out, and that was making it hard to keep quiet. Antonio understood that he was scared, but he was glad to know that apparently Lovino had kept it together enough to alert the police to what was happening. Now if only he could get out before they actually came… "A-and th-there is no 'w-we', bastard," he continued to Antonio's surprise. "Y-you tried to come in here a-and r-rob us too!" he accused. Antonio couldn't deny that. He thought quickly about how he was going to try to explain things when he heard the first sound of sirens approaching. Going by how fast the response time was, Lovino must have summoned them when it was just Antonio acting as a robber instead of both him and the commando. Lovino tried to look triumphant at the sound but he shuddered and squeaked as the commando started yelling again.

"Fuck, who called the cops? Was it one of you?" he asked someone. Antonio couldn't see, but he assumed that it was one of the tellers. He heard some kind of plea before a sharp yelp. Antonio and Lovino tensed, but sense they hadn't heard the gun go off, Antonio assumed that the commando must have hit the person instead. "That's it, everyone hand over your cell phones! You were supposed to do that anyway, but apparently that task is too _challenging_ for you. Hand them over!" Antonio heard a few murmurs and the sound of one or two plastic devices sliding across the floor. "Oh, so we have two smart asses over here, do we? Okay then. Get up, both of you!" Antonio heard someone, a woman, yell in despair before the commando hit her to be quiet. "Shut up, lady, it's his own fault! Now I want the two of you to go stand in front of the doors. You're going to be my meat shield against snipers." Antonio's stomach twisted at the sound of amusement in the commando's voice. That was just sick. Judging by Lovino's ashen face, he felt the same way, too. Antonio patted himself down, gaining Lovino's attention.

"See? No gun. I wasn't planning on hurting anybody," he told Lovino. He didn't know if the other would believe him or not, but he could at least try. Lovino looked over at him skeptically.

"Then why plan to rob a bank?" he asked. "You're still going to hurt someone if you do, like the people whose money you steal, the bank itself, the people who _work_ for the bank, the security… basically, you still hurt people. It may not be physically hurting them, but they still get hurt in the end." Antonio winced. He hadn't thought of that before. He sighed, frustrated. He leaned back against the booth and rubbed his eyes tiredly. In the background, he could still hear the commando guy shouting orders at everyone as well as having a one-sided conversation. Judging by what he was hearing, the guy was probably on the phone with some kind of police negotiator—and things weren't going so well for the people in the bank. A little girl had started crying and her parents were trying to get her to keep quiet. Someone else, older, was working hard to muffle their own tears. Things just weren't going as well as Antonio had planned. "…Hey, why _did_ you decide to rob a bank?" Lovino asked again, but this time with curiosity. "And why did you decide to…save me?" Antonio opened his eyes and stared at Lovino.

Lovino was fidgeting where he crouched on the floor, trying to make himself as unnoticeable as he could. Antonio put his hand on Lovino's arm and drew him under the booth with him. This way, there was a lesser chance of either of them getting caught by the commando out there. Why _did_ he save Lovino? He could have just as easily dived over the booth counter and then hid only himself. He didn't have to save the teller, too. But it had been just instinct. Antonio really hadn't been out there to hurt anyone. If pulling Lovino with him saved at least one person, then Antonio would have done it again. He told Lovino as much, but in a murmur. The commando had regained control over the hostages again and had ordered them into silence. Right now, he was threatening the bank manager to either open up the bank vault or he would open fire on the hostages. Antonio's mouth set in a grim line. Things were looking bad. Antonio jumped slightly when he felt Lovino nudge him. Looking over, he saw Lovino frowning at him.

"That didn't answer my first question, dammit," he muttered, looking to the side. "Why did you decide to rob a bank in the first place?" Antonio chuckled humorlessly, but silently. That was a loaded question.

"Why does anyone rob a bank at all?" he asked back. "Because I want money. I'm not going to tell you some sob story about how my grandmother who raised me needs it for some life-saving operation or that I have gambling debts or something like that." Antonio paused, not quite sure what to say. "I guess I wanted the money because I'm tired of living my life by always counting out every single cent that I use, or that I have to give up outings with my friends because I have to pay my rent. I just want more money. I don't actually _need_ it, since I'm obviously not starving and I've showered recently. I just want it. Does that make any sense?" Lovino turned away, silent. Antonio smiled bitterly and stared straight ahead at the wall in front of him. It figured that he wouldn't get anywhere with the truth. Antonio had been planning on trying to get Lovino on his side, but he just couldn't do that. He had heard about those bank robbers in Sweden, and their hostages. The hostages had suddenly turned on the police and had even raised money for their hostage-takers bail. Afterwards, there was even a psychological phenomenon named after them—Stockholm Syndrome. Antonio couldn't do whatever it was that he would need to do to Lovino for that to happen. So, Antonio had been obvious. After what Lovino had been through already, Antonio couldn't bring himself to lie to him. It just wouldn't be right somehow, like kicking someone while they were already on the ground. Antonio wasn't that kind of person.

"Well," Lovino suddenly said, catching Antonio's attention. "At least that's better than _this_ guy," he said, gesturing to where the commando was somewhere behind them. Antonio stared at him. He didn't think that Lovino would have wanted to talk to him after that. Maybe the truth really had helped? Lovino took a deep breath before finally looking back over at Antonio. "So what are we going to do about this guy?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could go with my original plan," Antonio suggested. When Lovino stiffened slightly Antonio realized what his 'real' original plan had been. "No, I don't mean letting me rob the place! I meant my original plan after the crazy guy came in. You know, where we try to sneak out the back way and get help from outside?"

Lovino frowned. "But if we do that, then you'll be arrested." Antonio smiled sadly.

"Yeah, probably," he acknowledged. "But I also have an escape plan. I'll try to leave before the cops arrive, and then we can pretend that I never came here, okay?" Lovino stared at Antonio, unsure. "I swear I won't try anything like this again," he promised the bank teller. "Like I said before, this was really more of a whim because I wanted more money. After _this_"—he gestured behind him where the commando had finally managed to get the bank vault open— "I don't think I'll be very willing to try bank robbery again." To Antonio's surprise, Lovino smiled, laughing silently. This was the first show of positive emotion that he had seen on the Italian bank teller. Antonio was really surprised by how beautiful he looked with a smile on his face. Antonio's breath was taken momentarily away.

The commando snapping at everyone again brought Antonio's attention back to him. He didn't bother to try and hear what was being said; he could already hear the sound of someone getting hit again and falling to the floor with a hard _thump!_ Antonio raised his finger to his lips, gesturing that he and Lovino should keep silent for now. Lovino nodded grimly. Antonio looked around and saw a pad of sticky notes on the floor as well as a pen. Antonio snatched both up and wrote _Where's the nearest back exit?_ Antonio of course knew about one of them, since that was where he was planning on escaping from. However, that particular exit took them out past the counter and in plain view of the commando guy. If there was a safer way of leaving, then Antonio would rather leave that way. Lovino snatched up the pen and wrote as carefully as he could. If the _scritch scritch _of the pen was too audible then they would be caught by the bank robber. When Lovino was finished he had a queasy look on his face. He handed the note to Antonio.

_It's in the hallway to our right. The only thing is that to get to the hallway we could get caught by the crazy guy with the gun. If we make it to the hallway then we should be able to duck into the next hallway where the employee lounge is. There's a door there that will take us outside into the back alleyway._

After reading the note Antonio took a deep, steadying breath before releasing it. It seemed almost impossible to get out without being seen, but Antonio was an optimistic person by nature. He knew that the odds were bad, but he also knew that they still had a chance to succeed if they could time it right. Antonio held up a hand that let Lovino know that they had to wait first. Antonio listened to the commando's footsteps and voice as he walked back and forth across the bank's lobby while Lovino fiddled around with something on the floor. When the commando's steps had taken him so that the teller's booth was in between him and the door, Antonio motioned for them to crawl as silently and fast as they could. The crawling was slow work, despite their efforts to keep quiet. There was a terrifying moment when Antonio's knee bumped into the wooden back of the booth they were crawling under, but luck seemed to be on their side. At around that same moment a chirp went out over a walkie talkie that the commando guy had been using to communicate with the police outside. Antonio peeked around the corner of the booth and saw that the commando was still on the other side of the room with his back turned. He motioned for Lovino to hurry into the hallway where he opened up a door just on the inside of the corridor and slipped in. Antonio waited a moment, checking to see if the commando guy was suspicious or not. It didn't look like he had noticed anything, so Antonio hurried after Lovino who had left the door open. If they closed it, then it could make a suspicious sound that the bank robber may try to seek out.

When they were safely in the room, the two let out a low breath of relief. They grinned at each other before hurrying towards the door that led outside. When Antonio reached for the door knob Lovino stopped him suddenly. "Wait," he said quickly. "The cops are waiting outside. Do you have a getaway vehicle nearby?"

Antonio blinked. "Yeah, right outside." Lovino swore lowly.

"Forget it. We're going to tell them that it belongs to the robber back there and then you're going to get out of here." Antonio stared at him.

"You asked me why I helped you out back there," he said finally. "But why are you helping me?" Lovino flushed before looking back at the door. Antonio was confused by this sudden change in demeanor, but he kept quiet. Lovino would answer him if he wanted to. They headed out the door and were almost blinded by sun. They took three steps away from the door when they were swamped by police officers who swept them away. Lovino did most of the talking, explaining that he was a teller at the bank that his brother-in-law owned and how Antonio was a customer. He also explained that Antonio and he had somehow managed to get behind the teller booths and remain unnoticed before they were able to escape. The next few minutes were a blur for Antonio. All he really knew was that he was chalked up to be a flaky witness and that the police were ready to raid the bank through the exit that he had just escaped through. Throughout the entire time that the police were gathered in the general area Antonio was edging his way towards the streets where he could slip into the crowd and leave unnoticed. He was just a few feet away from the crowd when someone grabbed his arm. Antonio spun around, mildly surprised, and pleasantly so, to see that it was Lovino. He shuffled his feet slightly as he looked up at Antonio.

"You…you asked earlier why I was helping you out," he said awkwardly, gesturing back towards the huddle of police officers. "You know, with them. Well…I guess you deserve an answer. You know, since you answered my questions and all."

"Oh," Antonio said smartly. "Okay, but you don't have to-"

"Yes I do!" Lovino snapped suddenly. He huffed for a moment before continuing on. "I guess I just thought that you don't seem like that bad of a guy. Definitely not like that psycho back in there, but still, not really a bad guy. More like someone stupid who decided that breaking the law would be fun or something." Antonio wilted under his words.

"Gee, thanks," he muttered.

"L-look, all I'm trying to say is you made a mistake. People do that, so I shouldn't hold you to it. A-after all, you did help me back there, so you're not a complete psycho path." That made Antonio smile wryly.

"Well, there's always something to look forward to I guess." They stood for a moment, staring at each other. Antonio knew that he should really leave soon before the police try to question him again but he couldn't shake the feeling that he should really say something else. He was just about to turn away when he was struck with a thought. "Hey, do you want to meet up later this week? You know, so we can talk about the robbery and about what all's being done or something?" Lovino blinked before smiling shyly.

"O-okay, sure," he said. He cleared his throat and smiled at him confidently. "Yeah, I would like that. And I could also tell you about if the cops are on to you or something."

"Yeah, or something," Antonio agreed. When Lovino grabbed his hand again he was even more surprised to see that Lovino was handing him a brown paper bag that had a couple of loose bills in it. He looked at the bag questioningly and then back up at Lovino.

"I just figured that you could probably use it," he said stubbornly when he saw Antonio's look. "It's not like it means anything you know! It's just, you seemed like you were hard up for money, and this can easily be explained as being stolen by that psycho back there, so why not? We're insured."

That was probably the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for Antonio. He didn't know what to say, so he tucked the bag into his jacket pocket. He was about to turn away, again, when Lovino called out to him.

"At least tell me your name!" In all the excitement from before, Antonio must have forgotten to introduce himself. He turned around with a smile. This was one budding relationship he wouldn't mind.

"My name's Antonio."

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><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Four; Up Next!—Eh, you'll find out soon enough.<em>


	35. Life 34 Our Musical Life

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 34; Our Musical Life  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio x Lovino; Their life was like a musical; it had its ups and downs, its musical numbers, and more importantly, they always had each other.  
><em>_Rating__: __**High**__ T rating. Nothing language-wise, this time.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. I also don't own any of the songs that are mentioned in here. Hey, it's a musical life  
><em>_Warning__: Mentions of sex (I will __**NEVER**__ write a sex scene, so don't worry about that; still, if you don't like reading about this, then you should probably skip this chapter; it won't hurt my feelings), very sappy love scenes (I think I outdid myself with this one), unhealthy relationships, themes, my bad writing skills, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Felicia, Kiku, mentions of Lukas, Ari, Ivan, Chun Yan (Fem!China), two people who are Antonio's 'best friends', an OC or two, and two people who could possibly be male!Belgium and Fem!France.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Kiku/Felicia, mentioned past Antonio/mysterious person, Lukas/Ari, Ivan/Chun Yan.  
><em>_Word Count__: 8,624.  
><em>_Songs Used__: Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye  
>Fight For All The Wrong Reasons by Nickelback<br>Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson  
>Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson<br>Bull's-eye by Aly and AJ  
>Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse<br>__Notes__: Happy Birthday America! ^_^ You know, last year I updated a story on Canada's birthday, and now this year it's America's. I wonder who I'll get next year! :D_

_Also, the song Fight For All The Wrong Reasons isn't actually mentioned in here. However, think of it as Antonio's theme towards Lovino. It may even be Lovino's theme, too. If you don't know the song, I suggest you listen to it; it really brings out what I'm trying to convey with their relationship._

_On a third note, this chapter was recommended by Bookworm24601. Also, if anyone has any specific pairings that you want to see, just message me or leave the suggestion in a review. I'm open to any suggestions and any combinations, such as who you would like to top or not (so I can put it on the Pairings list correctly). _

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><p>Lovino knew that it was kind of cliché, but he always thought that his life with Antonio was like a musical. A very, very messed up musical, but one nonetheless. A lot of people probably thought this about their own relationships, though, but Lovino knew that he was actually correct. All of the significant moments that they had together, from the big to the small, could be described through song. And it wasn't just because they had songs that matched moments of their lives; everyone probably had that. But, just like musicals were full of drama, plot, high points and low points, so was Lovino's life ever since he met the Spaniard of his dreams.<p>

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><p>Lovino could remember it now. He was at his high school's annual 'get to know you better' dance, the one where they invited students from other schools around the area to attend. It was something of a joke to those who actually went to Lovino's school. Everyone said that the only reason why the school even bothered inviting people from other schools to come was because they were sick of looking at the same old faces over and over again. Lovino's younger sister, Felicia, had dragged him to the dance because she wanted to be able to meet up with her foreign exchange boyfriend Kiku, who happened to attend one of the other schools. Felicia wasn't allowed to attend unless Lovino went with her, so she forcibly dragged him against his wishes. Lovino didn't really mind that much. Most people ended up staying away from him anyway, so it wasn't like he was ever bothered at one of these things.<p>

He had been standing by one of the fake pillars that they had placed up in the gym to make the place look 'pretty' when he caught his first glimpse of him. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Of course, Lovino hadn't known his name at the time. All he knew was that he had chocolate brown hair and a gorgeous smile. That was all Lovino was able to see before people shifted and his view was blocked. Normally Lovino would have just left it at that, but for some reason this time he couldn't. Or, more likely, he didn't want to. Maybe someone spiked the punch. It wouldn't be the first time. Whatever the reason, Lovino left the comfort of his wall and set off into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy with the smile.

Lovino wove his way in and out of different partygoers, making his way deeper and deeper in to the crowd. Soon he would be in the very center of the dance floor. Along the way, Lovino happened to catch his sister dancing with her boyfriend. Lovino stared at them for a moment before continuing on his way. He liked Kiku. He was a really nice guy and a gentleman, to boot. Lovino knew that his sister was in good hands with him. As he walked through the crowd he also saw a few other people he knew, like that one Norwegian junior who was talking to the Icelandic boy from another school, or that Russian senior who seemed to be getting pretty close with that Chinese exchange student. Chun Yan, he thought her name was. Lovino snorted. Those two psychos would be perfect for each other. Lovino shook his head. He didn't have time to pay attention to other people's love lives. He had to find that guy with the smile.

When Lovino was underneath the cheap disco ball in the center of the gym, he stopped and looked around. There were people pressed in on him from all sides, but he couldn't see any sign of the guy with the smile. Lovino wilted. Maybe he had just made him up. He was about to head back towards the wall when he looked up and there was the guy with the smile. Lovino blinked in surprise as the guy with the smile smiled right at him. Was it girly to admit that Lovino melted on the inside with that smile? Probably, but he didn't care. Lovino returned the teen's smile with a hesitant grin of his own.

**Hey, I just met you**

"Hi, my name's Antonio. What's yours?"

"Lovino."

"Cool. Want to dance?"

"Sure."

**And this is crazy**

Lovino didn't really remember all of what happened next. One minute they were out on the floor dancing, the next Antonio was taking him over to meet his friends, and then Lovino knew that they were outside. Things were going so fast, but he couldn't bring himself to care. From what he saw, he liked Antonio. And Antonio liked him. He could tell by the small grins that were directed his way as well as the way that Antonio talked to him. This was the first time that Lovino met Antonio. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

**But here's my number;**

**So call me maybe?**

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><p>Lovino had been dating Antonio for a few months now. Things were still going good, and Lovino was starting to get scared. Were things going too fast? Things were definitely going way too well. Something had to give soon. Lovino was a pessimist, and rather high maintenance. There was no way that Antonio would want to stay with him. Lovino had tried to be on his best behavior. He had only snapped at Antonio once, and he had managed to play it off as him being in a bad mood.<p>

But Lovino was always in a bad mood. He was usually angry and annoyed, so it wasn't anything special for Lovino to suddenly lash out at others. In fact, it was one of the first things that people talked about when they described him. Lovino didn't want to show Antonio that side of him. He wanted Antonio to like him, not be scared away. Lovino just knew that he would hate him if he ever showed the Spanish teen his true, angry side. That was something he never wanted to happen. He liked Antonio. So, if it meant pretending and hiding that side of him then that's what he would do. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen otherwise.

Right now, Lovino was waiting for Antonio over at the coffee shop. Antonio was fifteen minutes late and Lovino was trying to keep his cool. He hated it when the other was late, and it seemed like Antonio was almost always late. Lovino was very close to just finally coming out and yelling at Antonio about it. Lovino's anger simmered for a moment before dissolving. He still had insecurities. Somehow, Antonio had managed to make it past all of his defenses until there was nothing left.

**You hit the bullseye, baby**

There was just something about Antonio that drew Lovino to him. He was happy and nice, whereas Lovino was always surly and hateful. The only person that he had actually been somewhat nice to before Antonio came around was Felicia and she didn't count. She was his sister; he was obligated to be nice to her. Antonio made Lovino feel safe in a way that no one else ever had before. He was special. Special in a way that no one else was. Even if they had only known each other for a little over three months, already Lovino was feeling himself falling even more and more in love with Antonio.

**Now I'm into you crazy**

While Lovino was thinking over his relationship, Antonio had appeared from seemingly nowhere. It took him a moment before he noticed that the other teen was even there, standing in front of him as he stared at Lovino. Lovino flushed. Of course Antonio had to appear _right_ when he was thinking these embarrassing things. When Antonio saw that he had the other's attention, he smiled and opened up his mouth to say something. Lovino didn't get a chance to find out what it might have been. Both the embarrassment of having been snuck up upon by Antonio as well as his suppressed negative feelings finally boiled over. Before he knew what was going on, Lovino was lashing out and yelling at Antonio for being late, for _always_ being late. He didn't know what he said, exactly. He knew that he called Antonio several unkind names, but what exactly did he say? Yeah, it was bad, but _how_ bad? It was almost as if Lovino had been transported to somewhere outside of his physical body, like he was watching himself yell at Antonio but without the sound. And as for Antonio, he just stood there with a surprised, slightly confused look on his face.

Lovino stopped just as abruptly as he had started. He blinked in surprise…and shame. He took one look at Antonio before he ran out of the coffee shop without looking back. As he ran down the street the only thing he could think about was that look on Antonio's face. Hurt. Antonio had been hurt by Lovino's words. He didn't deserve that. There was really no reason to yell at Antonio like that. So he had been a few minutes late; most people usually were. Felicia could usually be counted on to be half an hour late, so Lovino should have been used to this by now. But all of his frustration from the past three months had just been building up and piling on top of itself over and over again until finally he had snapped. Lovino was surprised that he had lasted this long without snapping at Antonio much sooner. It just went to show that he really did like him, after all.

Lovino slowed down to a trot and then a slow walk. He absentmindedly wiped the tears away from his eyes. He liked Antonio. No, more than that, he loved him. He loved Antonio. He could see that very clearly. He had known this for a while now. And now… Now, he had messed things up. Like how he always did. Lovino sniffed. Antonio would probably never want to talk to him ever again. Why couldn't he just hold in his temper better? Better yet, why was Lovino always such an angry person? Because he had a temper, people stayed away from him. And for a while, Lovino was okay with that. He told himself that he didn't need other people. He was fine on his own, and at any rate Felicia would always like him. He didn't think about how pathetic it was to only have his sister as a friend. If he didn't think about it, then it didn't seem like a problem.

"-vino! Lovino, wait!"

Lovino froze. He had to be hearing things. There was no way that Antonio would want to talk to him again…unless it was to chew him out over how Lovino treated him. Cringing at the thought, he turned around slowly and looked warily at Antonio as he came over. Antonio had a slight frown on his face as he approached. Lovino felt a sudden pit in his stomach. He was the one who caused the boy with the smile to frown. It just wasn't right, wasn't natural. Lovino hated himself in that moment. He looked away, not wanting to see such an unnatural expression on Antonio's face.

"Are you okay? You suddenly left back there. Are you feeling alright?" Lovino didn't answer. How could he? He flinched when Antonio laid a hand on his shoulder. Antonio's brows furrowed. "Lovino?"

"No, I'm not okay," Lovino said in a thick voice. He looked up to Antonio's face and saw the other gazing at him in concern. "How can you even want to look at me after…after what I just did?" Lovino swallowed, feeling his words and emotion getting stuck in his throat.

"What you did?" Antonio echoed, looking confused for a moment. A sudden look of clarity came over him. "What, you mean when you yelled at me? I don't care about that." Lovino gaped at him.

"B-but I yelled at you! And I said some really mean things. I think I even cursed you out, too. And all because you were late! Normal people don't do that, you know." To his surprise, Antonio started laughing. Lovino stared at him like he was crazy, which only made Antonio laugh even more. At least his smile was back.

"No, but you do, Lovi," he said in between giggles. Freaking giggles! Finally he seemed to calm down enough to give Lovino a soft, warm smile that melted him on the inside, just like the first time they met. "If I was really worried about your temper, I wouldn't have bothered, you know. You don't have to hide that part of yourself, Lovi. I don't want you to ever feel like you can't be yourself around me."

Lovino, despite himself, felt his cheeks start to flush again.

**Don't know how you got me started**

"Besides," Antonio continued on obliviously, his grin growing, "I already knew about your temper. I was asking around about you after that dance three months ago, and everyone I asked told me about it. I don't care, though. It just means you have more personality than most." Antonio grinned. Lovino stared, taken aback. This grin was different from the others that he had been given before. Those had all seemed innocent and happy. This one, though, had undertones of something not-so-innocent and sharper. He gulped, feeling his whole body go warm.

**(You hit the bull's-eye) You hit my heart**

* * *

><p>It was when they had been together for three years that Lovino started panicking again. Before, he could pick up a reason why he had freaked out about his relationship. It had been the first one that Lovino had ever really had, so he was afraid of screwing it up. Well, Antonio proved that that wasn't possible. Ever since, Lovino had managed to relax around his boyfriend, improving their relationship even more. By now, there really was no reason to get nervous about his relationship with Antonio. There really wasn't. That didn't stop Lovino, however.<p>

Lovino had been in his shared apartment with Antonio when it had happened. Antonio was out somewhere with those two friends of his, probably drinking at a bar. Lovino himself was sitting on the couch going over his homework for college when the first wave of panic literally came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, an ice-cold shard of doubt fell into the pit of his stomach. What was he doing? Was he really living with his boyfriend? Had he really moved in with Antonio? Did he know what that meant? Was Lovino really ready to make that kind of decision? Moving in with your significant other was a huge step in a relationship. Were Lovino and Antonio really ready for this?

Lovino swore. What happened to the old him? The one that wasn't so needy, the one who was perfectly fine on his own. Lovino didn't like this. He didn't like having to have his whole life revolving around someone else. It was his life, and he wanted to live it the way he wanted to. Why did someone else have to come along and…and make him feel so insecure?

**What happened to Miss Independent  
>No longer need to be defensive<strong>

Lovino sighed heavily, slamming his notebook shut. He was over thinking things. That had to be it. Things were going perfectly for them. Yeah, they had their fights where mostly Lovino yelled at Antonio but he never meant anything by it. It was just a way to blow off steam. Antonio, freaky guy that he is, was actually okay with that. Sometimes it looked like they were going to break up, but then Lovino would start yelling and blowing off steam and then everything ended up fine. The two of them found out that Lovino had a bad habit of bottling everything up, all the negative emotions and everything that seemed wrong in his life. If Lovino ranting and raving at Antonio made things better, then they both could accept it.

For some reason, Antonio always insisted on having make-up sex afterwards. Lovino had a feeling that this was the real reason why Antonio always seemed so carefree whenever he started getting angry.

Smirking tiredly, Lovino glanced at the clock. He wondered when Antonio would be getting back. He frowned as he thought this. Like he had thought before, he really didn't like being so dependent on Antonio. However, he did have to admit that he was happier than ever with the man. He pride felt wounded that he had to admit that he needed Antonio in his life. But then, if Lovino thought about the alternative he realized that maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Whenever he thought about life without Antonio, he felt so empty inside. Hollow. Cold.

He was having slight doubts. That was all. Lovino had a big test coming up soon, and Antonio always seemed to be spending his spare time with his two friends. Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he talked with Felicia. He wondered how she, Kiku and the baby were doing. Since it had been a while since Lovino talked with his sister, he was just feeling a little lonely. His panic attack came at an inconvenient time, but it wasn't as unexpected as he had first thought. He knew that he was ready to spend the rest of his life with Antonio. Now, Lovino just felt silly for even panicking in the first place. If he thought about it, maybe these were just the usual fears that someone was supposed to get whenever they first moved in with their lover. Lovino hadn't felt anything like this when they decided to rent an apartment together, so, like his usual negative emotions, his fears had just been bottled up deep inside and were only just now coming out.

Actually, Lovino felt strangely proud of himself. He had managed to make himself feel better all by himself. In the past, he had had to use Antonio to help him get rid of his fears and insecurities. This usually meant yelling and cursing Antonio out for the littlest things. Once or twice, to Lovino's horror, he had even hit Antonio when he had been in a rage. As soon as that happened, he had been quick to stammer out apologies while trying to get as far away from Antonio as he could. He never wanted to actually hurt Antonio, especially physically. That was what abusers did, and Lovino was already starting to look like one to those who didn't know the couple. Antonio, however, had just grabbed Lovino's hand and pulled him into a tight hug, not letting go until Lovino stopped struggling. Then, he would make Lovino kiss him to 'make the pain go away', something Lovino did with rolled eyes and a worried frown. Antonio quickly made him see that he was quite fine, and that he wasn't hurt at all.

Lovino looked up when he heard the apartment door open. Antonio staggered in with a dopy grin on his face, clearly drunk. Lovino rolled his eyes good naturedly. He stood up from the couch and stretched before walking over to the door and closing it behind Antonio. The Spanish teen—practically a man now—never seemed to be able to remember to close the darn thing. Antonio himself was leaning against a wall, watching Lovino with cloudy eyes that made him shiver deliciously.

"Did you have a good time?" Lovino asked dryly, escorting Antonio over to the couch before his boyfriend could fall onto the floor. Lovino was rather fond of Antonio's face; he'd hate to see something bad happen to it. When they were seated on the couch Antonio practically jumped on Lovino as he wrapped him up in his arms. Antonio snuggled his head into Lovino's chest, making odd noises every now and then. Yep. Definitely drunk.

But, he was Lovino's drunk, he thought fondly as he combed his fingers through Antonio's hair.

**Goodbye, old you  
>When love is true<strong>

* * *

><p>Lovino felt cold on the inside. And numb. Like his insides had frozen over. He methodically placed his clothes in his suitcase, not looking over at the doorway. He refused to look at the doorway. He had things to do, like figure out how he was going to take all of his things in one trip. Lovino never wanted to step foot inside of this <em>horrible<em> apartment ever again.

He and Antonio had had a fight. Surprise, surprise. He should have been used to this by now. Yet, somehow this one had been completely unexpected. Lovino wasn't sure what had first started it. It may have been that phone call. Yeah, that seemed like a good place to start.

Antonio had received a late-night phone call from someone Lovino hadn't recognized. This puzzled him at first because Lovino could have sworn that he knew all of his boyfriend's friends and acquaintances. Considering when they first started dating about ten years ago and how Antonio had literally, bodily dragged Lovino with him around to meet each person in his life so he could introduce Lovino to them as his boyfriend, Lovino was sure he knew them all. And yet, Lovino didn't recognize the voice on the phone. He could have easily brushed this off, since Antonio could have just met the person recently, but then the voice on the other line giggled.

"_Oh, he'll know me. We go __way__ back."_

Lovino tried to convince himself that he was wrong. A week had passed since then, and Lovino was running out of arguments—especially since the voice finally came around to the apartment and introduced himself as an old boyfriend of Antonio's. Even then, Lovino hadn't felt that threatened. Anyone who was around Antonio and Lovino knew that they were crazy in love with each other. Lovino had no logical reason to doubt Antonio's loyalty…

…except for when the old doubts and insecurities started to rise up again. Lovino knew all the arguments. He knew the logic. He knew that there shouldn't have been any reason to doubt Antonio. But he did. And he had, before. When they were seniors in high school, there had been this girl at Antonio's school who seemed to be all over him. Antonio hadn't even noticed, but Lovino sure as hell did. When the girl had started to get just a little _too_ friendly and started feeling Antonio up, that was when Lovino had drawn the line. Looking back on it, Lovino felt that he was being a little over dramatic. He had demanded that either Antonio tell the girl off and tell her, explicitly, that he was in a relationship with a _man_ so she should just _back __**off**_ or Lovino would break up with him. Antonio had protested, saying that the girl didn't mean any harm so Antonio should be that harsh to her, but Lovino was firm. Either she goes or Lovino did. Antonio supposedly told the girl all about how he had a super sexy boyfriend who he hoped to grow old with, marry and have adopted children with and the girl was never heard from again.

Of course, it could have been because Felicia found out about her so she went over and had a 'chat' with her, but Lovino preferred to think that it was his boyfriend who made her leave. He didn't want to think that his sister would be capable of such a thing, especially since it would mean that Antonio hadn't tried his hardest to get rid of her.

But now, though, Lovino was through. The last straw had been when he came home late from work and found Antonio and his ex sitting very cozily on the couch, watching television. Lovino had seen red but he still had mind enough to close the door silently behind him as he left. He thought he caught Antonio's eye when the door closed but he didn't stay to find out. Lovino ran off through the building and caught the first cab that he could to his sister's house. Felicia had her own life with Kiku and their seven year old, but she still had time for when Lovino needed her. Antonio had tried to call and text him to explain, but each word just seemed like an admission of guilt to Lovino.

It had taken a few days, but Lovino finally steeled himself up enough to return to the apartment to collect his things. Antonio stood in the doorway, staring at Lovino as he packed up. Lovino didn't turn around. He didn't want to know what the other was thinking. It was just too easy to find out now. They had known each other for so long, all it took was a glance to be able to tell what the other was thinking. That was partly why Lovino had his back to the doorway. He didn't want Antonio to see how hurt he was.

Ten years. Ten long years they had been together. A good portion of marriages don't make it that long nowadays, and Lovino had thought that they would be different. That they would have a chance. Of course, he didn't want to think of marriage because that only made him think of Antonio. There had been a time when he had thought that marriage might have been an option sometime in the future. Obviously not anymore. Maybe this whole 'cheating' thing was Antonio's way of telling Lovino that he wanted to break up. Lovino threatened to do so every time he had to vent on Antonio, and a few times whenever Antonio had gotten angry back—as rare as that was—he had said the same thing, but inevitably they would make up and then forget about the words 'I want to break up'. They had said them so many times that the words themselves had lost their meaning. This was probably the only way that Antonio could think of to actually mean it, and show Lovino that he meant it.

Maybe what they had wasn't so healthy after all.

"So, is this it?" Antonio said from the doorway. These were the first words that were said between them since Lovino first came over. The words rang hollow in the air, emphasizing the distance that had grown between them.

Lovino didn't speak at first. He wasn't sure what he should say. He knew a lot of things that he _wanted_ to say, but none of them would have made the situation any better. Instead, he finally settled for a "Yeah, I guess so." He could hear the frown in Antonio's next words, something that still rent at Lovino's gut. Antonio was the Boy with the Smile, as ridiculously juvenile as that sounded. He should never have a frown on his face.

"So you're just—what, going to leave? And never speak to me again or something?"

"Most likely," Lovino said in as even a tone as he could manage. If it wobbled as much as he thought it did, then he didn't do a very good job. He stood up and grabbed as many suitcases in his hands as he could. There were a few boxes left. Lovino would just have to send Felicia or Kiku to pick them up later. He turned to head out of the bedroom and stopped when he realized that Antonio was still blocking the doorway. Lovino stared straight ahead, not once looking at Antonio's face. "Can you please move? I have to be back at Felicia's place soon."

"_**But you didn't have to cut me off!**_" Antonio protested as he let Lovino walk past him. Antonio continued following him through the apartment. "_**Make off like it never happened and that we were nothing.**_" Antonio set his mouth and moved in front of Lovino again, blocking him. He crossed his arms, staring at Lovino as he shifted his feet. "_**And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough…**_" Lovino flinched at his words. If anyone should be saying them, it should be Lovino! So why did he feel so guilty all of a sudden? Lovino looked away and tried to walk past Antonio again. The taller man followed along at his heels, not letting Lovino leave without hearing what he had to say first. It sounded like he was on a roll. "_**You didn't have to stoop so low **_to _**have your friends collect your records and a change of number.**_" Antonio hesitated, right as Lovino reached the door. "_**I guess I don't need that though**_," he said quietly. "Lovi…now…_**now you're just somebody that I used to know**_?" Lovino hated the question in his tone. It sounded like he was asking whether or not they would ever see each other again. Deep in his heart, Lovino wanted to just drop his things, run over to Antonio and kiss him senseless. But, that wouldn't change anything. What had happened had happened, and Lovino wasn't even too sure that Antonio really wanted him back. After all, why had he kept that old ex-boyfriend from Lovino? Sure, he would have been jealous at first but he would have gotten over it. Instead, Antonio had kept him a complete secret. Why had he done that, except to say that he didn't want Lovino to know about him? And why was he spending so much time with the guy recently? There were just too many questions and not enough answers. Lovino knew their relationship wasn't exactly what one would call 'healthy'. Wasn't it better to just go ahead and end things now before they got worse?

"Are you going to answer me?"

Lovino found his resolve. Who said that Antonio got to be the one to have the wounded, hurt puppy tone of voice for this thing? If anything, Lovino should have been the one complaining. Not Antonio. He had made his bed, and now he could sleep in it. Lovino whirled around and faced Antonio with a glare on his face.

"_**Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over**_," he told Antonio, thinking back to all the times that Antonio had made him purposefully mad. "_**But **_you _**had me believing it was always something that I'd done**_." Every time that they had gotten into an argument in the past, Lovino always knew that it was his fault. He was the one with the temper. He was the one who jumped to conclusions way too often. He was the one with the inferiority complex that made him think the worst of everything he ever did. Really, what had Antonio ever done to help him with that? Did he maybe take him to therapy to try and get help? Did he ever offer to take over some of the blame? No, he didn't. He would just fuel the rage until finally something in Lovino gave and they ended up in a passionate, angry kiss or two. And, if Antonio could get angry sex out of it, then why the hell not? No, now that Lovino thought about it, a lot of his problems had to do with Antonio. Maybe he really would have been better off without knowing him. "_**And I don't want to live that way, reading into every word you say. You said that you could let it go and I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know!**_" With the last parting shot, Lovino stormed out of the apartment, leaving Antonio standing in the entryway looking dumbstruck.

* * *

><p>After two weeks at his sister's house, Lovino was ready to pull his hair out. He loved his sister and her kid, really he did. Even Kiku wasn't that bad; a little quiet, but he supposed someone had to balance out Felicia. But still, there was a limit to how much Lovino could take, and he was fast approaching that limit. Lovino still went to his job so he could at least pay a small rent for staying over, but he knew he had to start searching for a place to live soon.<p>

He also had to stop thinking about Antonio already.

It had been two weeks. Two long weeks. Lovino should have been at least a little over Antonio by now, especially after his revelation that things weren't actually as wonderful as he had originally thought. Yet the more Lovino tried to resist, the more he couldn't stop thinking about Antonio. He wondered how Antonio was doing right now. Was he getting enough to eat? Was he waking up on time? Antonio had a habit of sleeping in unless Lovino woke him.

Did he even miss Lovino?

Considering their last meeting, Lovino was thinking that the answer was a 'no'. And he couldn't even blame him if that was the case. Lovino himself was trying his hardest to not miss Antonio, but he just didn't have the resolve. He missed Antonio. He missed him so much, it was starting to physically hurt him. This couldn't be healthy. Then again, apparently Lovino's whole relationship with Antonio to begin with wasn't in the first place, so why should he expect something different from the break up? Lovino sighed, resting his head on his arms which were lying on the window sill. Luckily for him, Felicia and Kiku kept a separate guest house, so he didn't have to be around the happy family all the time.

The other day at work, which for Lovino was a full-time job at a fancy restaurant and a part time job at a convenience store at night, Lovino could have sworn that he saw Antonio's two stupid friends hanging around. Lovino had ducked and hid, not really wanting to face Antonio's friends. They no-doubt already knew about the break up and were unlikely to hold Lovino in high esteem. After a couple of minutes, Lovino grew frustrated with himself. Was he just going to hide from anyone who ever knew Antonio from now on? That was the coward's way! He had nothing to be ashamed of. It was just as much Antonio's fault as it was Lovino's. With this mindset, Lovino had straightened up and looked over at where he thought he saw Antonio's friends.

There was no one there.

Of course, it could have just been Lovino seeing things. He was starting to think that he was. But the reminder had shaken him up more than he cared to admit. Antonio was still out there. While this was true, of course, it also meant that Antonio could go ahead and start dating someone else. Maybe even his ex-boyfriend…the first one, that is. Lovino choked back a sob as he realized, seemingly for the first time, that he was technically Antonio's ex as well. For some reason, he just hadn't really realized this before. He knew that they had broken up, but the actual _meaning_ of that had evaded him. He was alone. This had also come as a sudden realization to him. Lovino was alone. He didn't have anyone to love anymore, and he didn't have someone who would love him in return. For the first time since the break up, Lovino was seized by panic. He hadn't thought about this since he was a teenager, but he was really alone now. It seemed silly, stupid even, but was he going to be able to spend his life together with someone now? Before Antonio, Lovino hadn't ever worried about such things. Then again, everything was different before Antonio. Now, Lovino had had a taste of what it meant to be in love with someone. It may have been twisted and unhealthy, but it had still been real.

Lovino remembered how he had thought a few years ago about how he wanted to be able to live his life the way he wanted to. He only had one life to live. He was twenty-six years old and he had already messed it up. True, he was still young. He could still have time to finally get over Antonio, find someone else and then spend his life with them. However, there would always, always be a part of him that still remembered Antonio. Remember the way Antonio would hold him, would talk to him, would yell and scream at him, with him, would be there to help him through all of the bad stuff, would…just do anything for him. The way Antonio loved him. The way he smiled at him. Oh, god. The smile.

Lovino would never be able to look at another smile the same way ever again. Antonio had ruined that for him, he thought bitterly. His smile reflected his thoughts as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Antonio would forever be The Boy With The Smile. Not just any smile, which Lovino could find anywhere, but The Smile. It was something that was completely, uniquely Antonio. It was warm and gentle, but still strong enough to let you know that he meant it, and he was going to prove to you that he really was just that happy to see you. It was loving and enveloping, letting Lovino know that there was no one else. Or at least, there hadn't been for a while. And it was this time period, when things were going great, that Lovino tried his hardest to remember. It was here that The Smile would live on in Lovino's heart, never to be tainted by the last month or so of their relationship. Now, whenever Lovino saw another smile on another person, he would forever be looking for a ghost of The Smile.

A sudden noise jolted Lovino out of his reverie. Lovino looked around, wondering what it could have been when he heard the clattering again, from the window. Curious, Lovino looked out and felt his heart stop in his chest as he looked out on the lawn.

It was Antonio, holding a couple of pebbles in his hand that he had been using to get Lovino's attention and with a guitar strapped around his shoulders. Lovino had to rub his eyes a few times to make sure he was really seeing this. It really was Antonio standing out in the yard, looking like he was about to serenade him. Lovino flushed, especially when Antonio smiled That Smile when he saw that Lovino was watching him. Lovino lurched away from the window and ran as hard as he could down the stairs and out the door. He stood on the door step, not daring to go any closer to Antonio. He still had a feeling that he could be having a dream, or be really, really sorely mistaken. Oh please, any merciful being or god out there, watching over them, _please_ let him not be mistaken.

Antonio looked a little taken aback that Lovino didn't come any closer, but he nodded like he had expected as much. Antonio took two steps forward but no more, especially when Lovino froze up. Antonio looked over apologetically and then cleared his throat. To anyone watching, Antonio seemed like a gawky, awkward teenager who wasn't sure how to properly make his intentions known. To Lovino, he seemed perfect; then again, he had always been perfect to Lovino's eyes. He couldn't really make an unbiased opinion whenever it came to Antonio.

"Uh…," Antonio coughed awkwardly, dropping the pebbles in his hand hastily. "I wasn't quite sure how else to do this…so, Lovi, can you bear with me for a moment?" Lovino made some kind of noncommittal noise. He was surprised he could even do that. Not once had he taken his eyes off Antonio, afraid that he would disappear the moment he did. Lovino honestly didn't think he could deal with something like that right now. Antonio took his answer as a yes and nodded to himself, strumming his guitar.

"_**Desperate for changing, starving for truth  
>I'm closer to where I started, chasing after you<strong>_"

Lovino's breath caught in the back of his throat. His eyes started to tear up again. Antonio really was doing what he thought he would be doing. He was trying to apologize in the most romantic way he knew how, just like how Lovino had always wanted.

"_**I'm falling even more in love with you  
>Letting go of all I've held on to<br>I'm standing here until you make me move  
>I'm hanging by a moment here with you<strong>_"

Tears ran down Lovino's cheeks unbidden. He hurried to wipe them away so he could see Antonio better. There was no way he was going to let something as stupid and inconsequential as _tears_ obstruct his view of the Spaniard singing so beautifully in front of him. He wanted to watch for as long as he could. Antonio looked up from where he had been watching his hands and making sure that they found the right chords. When he did, he met Lovino's gaze with a softer, but still just as wanted, version of The Smile. Lovino's heart felt like it had wings at that moment.

"_**Forgetting all I'm lacking, completely incomplete  
>I'll take your invitation, you take all of me now<strong>_

"_**I'm falling even more in love with you  
>Letting go of all I've held on to<br>I'm standing here until you make me move  
>I'm hanging by a moment here with you<strong>_

"_**I'm living for the only thing I know  
>I'm running and not quite sure where to go<br>And I don't know what I'm diving into  
>Just hanging by a moment here with you<strong>_"

Lovino thought that he knew what Antonio was trying to tell him. Yeah, they had had their ups and downs, but Antonio wanted to keep doing what they were doing before. It was a good thing, and why mess with a good thing? They don't know what will happen in the future, but hey; it's the future. You're not supposed to know what will happen next. Antonio was saying that it didn't really matter what came next. He just wanted to be with Lovino whenever it happened. Lovino couldn't help but feel the same way. He didn't care about what had happened anymore. He could admit that they had both overreacted, but was that really reason enough to just leave? From what Lovino could understand, Antonio wasn't going anywhere. It was all up to Lovino to decide what to do next. Did they want to just call it quits? Or did they want to try and work things out? Lovino knew what it was he wanted to do.

"_**There's nothing else to lose, there's nothing else to find  
>There's nothing in the world that can change my mind<br>There is nothing else, there is nothing else**_"

Antonio stopped strumming his guitar and stared Lovino straight in the eye. "_**There is nothing else**_, Lovi," he said softly, just loud enough for Lovino to hear. Lovino sobbed out right at Antonio's confession. It was all that he ever really wanted. He knew that he was selfish and possessive, as well as clingy and jealous. He knew this, but for a long time there was nothing he could really do about it. And now Antonio, dear, sweet Antonio, was saying the words that Lovino had longed for. The next thing Lovino knew, Antonio's arms were wrapped tightly around him, murmuring apologies for making him cry as well as assurances that everything would be better. Lovino clung to Antonio like a lifeline, one that was keeping him steady in his tidal wave of emotion.

After a moment, when Lovino had stopped crying and Antonio had stopped talking and the couple was wrapped in comfortable silence, Antonio leant down and whispered in Lovino's ear. "What do you say, Lovino? Can we try…_us_ again?" Lovino couldn't rush to say yes quickly enough.

* * *

><p>Antonio and Lovino agreed to continue dating, and Lovino soon moved back in with Antonio into their apartment. Felicia and Kiku didn't say anything, but Lovino suspected that they were happy to have their house, and guest house, back to themselves. Especially Kiku. Their daughter was turning out to be exactly like her mother, personality wise. Kiku really wanted the guest house back so that he could work on his projects in peace without getting interrupted…unless it was by his wife.<p>

Lovino and Antonio didn't say anything to each other, but it was generally agreed that they would never mention Antonio's ex ever again. Said ex hasn't been seen in quite a while, so Lovino assumed that he moved on. He didn't bother asking, though, in case it wasn't true. It would just raise other problems that they didn't need.

Lovino sat Antonio down one evening to talk about their relationship, specifically the unhealthy parts of it. After a very, very long discussion, Antonio reluctantly agreed to try out couple's therapy. After a month, it was clear that the therapist didn't know what he was talking about, so they went back to how things were originally. They figured, hey, if it works for us then it works; we don't need anyone else to tell us how to live our lives.

A few months after getting back together, Lovino finally brought up the courage to ask Antonio to marry him, to Antonio's surprise. Apparently he had been planning on asking Lovino the same thing, but Lovino got around to it first. He took this as a sign of victory.

They were married in a small ceremony, with only Felicia, Kiku, their daughter and Antonio's two best friends in attendance. Lovino and Antonio figured if they wanted a bigger celebration, then they would just have to renew their vows and invite more people.

They of course had their fair share of problems, much more so than the average couple, but somehow they made it work.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Five; Up Next!—I am a Pirate, You are a Gypsy…Wait, That's Not How The Song Goes…<em>


	36. Life 35 Burning Love

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 35; Burning Love (please excuse the pun)  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Pirate!Antonio x Gypsy!Fem!Lovino; Lovina contemplates her life so far, as well as the friends and family that she has made, as she waits to be burned at the stake. Throughout all of this, one name echoes through her mind: Antonio.  
><em>_Rating__: T for themes (like burning people. That's bad.)  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Some themes, my bad writing skills, not much romance in this one, shortness of length, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Lovina, Antonio, OC's, mentions of Felicia, Ludwig, Kiku, Yao, Ivan, Alfred, Arthur, Matthew, Lars, Roderich, brief mention of Grandpa Romulus.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovina, mention of Ludwig/Felicia  
><em>_Word Count__: 2,992.  
><em>_Notes__: Hey, guess what! I had my birthday earlier this week! Yay me! Especially since I finally got a new laptop. Yeah, remember a few chapters ago when I mentioned that my laptop is literally falling apart? Well, now hopefully that won't be a problem anymore (especially since my old laptop's screen is starting to separate from the main body). Also, I just bought a (used) car today; I think I'll name it Mr. Fuzzikins. Yes, I'm just that weird, and I know you all care so much (is sarcastic)._

_On another, more related note, this is another idea for a story that I had…a while ago. It's probably still not that great, but I hope you enjoy it! Also, if you have any pairings that you want to see, whichever they may be, please don't hesitate to ask! I'll write anything, whether the characters are both men, one man and one woman, or both women. Ask me whenever!_

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><p>Lovina struggled against her bonds. The ropes dug into her wrists, cutting off her circulation as well as the feeling to her fingers. They were tied very tightly, by the person who most wanted her dead right now. It looked like he would get his wish soon. Lovina tried to shift position to alleviate the throbbing pain in her wrists, but she couldn't move very far. That's what happened when you were tied to a post. She tried to suppress her flinching whenever bundles of sticks and straw were flung at her feet. She was to be burned as a witch—even worse, a gypsy witch. Truthfully, her only crimes were that she helped her people escape from the city, Felicia leading them back towards the docks where their ship was supposed to meet them. Lovina openly moved against the chancellor, practically spitting in his face whenever he tried to capture her people. Lovina herself was instrumental in making sure that Yao and his siblings escaped. Kiku insisted that he stay behind, but the rest of his family was taken to safety.<p>

Even now, Ludwig was supposed to be helping the last of the Roma escape from the city. He wasn't Roma, but he was handy enough. Now that Lovina's death seemed imminent, she could admit that. She hoped that he would take good care of her sister later…when she was gone. It was strange. Now that Lovina was meeting her death, she felt a sudden peace come over her. Maybe it was because she didn't have any worries anymore—no, that wasn't true. She had plenty of worries left. What if Felicia couldn't get everyone to the ship in time? What if Antonio was held up, and the ship was late? What if Ludwig ended up getting stopped before he could leave the city? Oh, yes. Lovina had plenty of worries left. But, she had no regrets. She had done all she could, and finally she had been caught. She knew it was a risk, especially after she sent her sister away by herself. She also knew, however, that she was the main target. She was the one that the chancellor was after. She was the one who instigated the protests, the one who organized the escape routes for the people—both Roma and otherwise—who wanted to leave the no longer safe city. Antonio would have been so proud of her.

Antonio…

If there was ever one regret that Lovina felt, it was that she wouldn't be able to see him again. He was the captain of a pirate ship, and she was Roma. They had been the perfect match for each other, since Lovina hated staying in one place for too long and Antonio's job required that he had to keep moving otherwise he would be captured by the government. Lovina loved Antonio with all her heart, and she knew that Antonio felt the same way for her. Lovina gave a wry smile. She hadn't had any illusions that they would end up staying together in the future or anything. Really, could they even have a future together? Well, Lovina was about to be burnt at the stake. She kind of had a feeling that the answer was no. This must have been God's way of telling her that they never would have worked out. She thought it was unfair; God could have at least chosen some other way to tell her this.

A splash of liquid coming over her head forcibly broke her away from her thoughts. Lovina spluttered, tasting something horrible in her mouth. It wasn't water, whatever they threw at her, unless it was very dirty water. Since her hands were tied behind her back and to the stake of wood she was going to be burned on, she couldn't wipe the liquid out of her eyes. It took a few times but she finally managed to blink it out of her eyes. When she did, she glared at the chancellor who stood in front of her, looking strangely triumphant. She hated him. She hated him more than she hated anyone before, including the people who killed her grandfather. This was the man who had sworn to rid the city of everyone that he deemed 'unclean', everyone that he thought didn't fit his ideal image of who should be living in his precious city. He had a smug look on his face. He must have felt so proud, being able to execute a defenseless young woman.

"Lovina Vargas," he said to her, "you know why you're here. Confess, and I'll set you free…within reason, of course."

Lovina spat at him. "Shouldn't it be that if I confess then I have to be burned, instead of the other way around?"

He smiled, and it wasn't a very pleasant smile. "Not when it comes to my city. Now, are you going to confess? I know the people want to witness a witch's burning, but we can always reschedule for later. We'll invite those traitors of mine, Jones and Kirkland. I'm sure they won't want to miss Mr. Williams'…big engagement." Lovina felt a burning pit of fury at his words. Exchange her execution for Matthew's? Never. For one, Lovina was not that kind of person. She would never choose to extend her life in exchange for someone else's. It was a decision that burned inside of her. She knew she could never go against what she believed in, and this was definitely something she believed in. She would never do this. Even if she _was_ that kind of person, though, she would never give up Matthew's life. He was the nicest person she had ever met. When she and her sister had first come to the city, before they had been disillusioned, he had gladly helped them out and showed them around the city. It didn't matter if his brother and his brother's friend were city guards; he had still been nice to two gypsy girls that he had just met along with their pirate companion. Her glare and silence told the chancellor all that he needed to know. He sighed, as if he were genuinely saddened, and said "So be it then."

The chancellor jumped off of the platform and addressed the growing crowd. Lovina didn't bother to listen. She didn't want to waste the last moments of her life listening to his lies, to the crowd's jeers and cheers for her death, to any of that. Instead, she chose to think about happier things. For one, if Ludwig really did leave the city when they had agreed, then he would have been able to get Ivan and his family out of the city as well as Kiku. Matthew should be with them as well, since Alfred and Arthur would never have wanted to keep the kind young man out of harm's way. As for the 'A-Team', as Alfred liked to refer to himself and Arthur, they should be leaving too. Whether they actually were, though, was something Lovina couldn't control. Knowing them, though, they were probably going to try and take on the chancellor himself later. Their sense of right and wrong wouldn't let them forget this, especially after the failed attack on the sibling's house. By the time Antonio and the others found out about what was happening, it would be too late—for her. It wouldn't be too late, however, for the people of the city. Alfred and Arthur would be able to hold off the corrupt army long enough for help to arrive.

Antonio would be devastated when he found out, Lovina knew. Just like how she would be if she found out that something happened to him while he was out at sea. She didn't even know how upset Antonio would be…she didn't want to think about how sad he would be. Lovina didn't want him to be sad because of her. He should never be sad because of her. What was she, anyway? Just some random girl that he happened to find about a year ago, along with her traveling companions. Lovina closed her eyes tightly. Maybe, in a few years…he would forget her. It hurt to think that, hurt very much. She didn't want him to forget. She didn't want to be just a distant memory. She decided to be selfish. She didn't want to be forgotten, but she didn't want Antonio to waste his life grieving over her. He had so much ahead of him; he could go on to be one of the greatest pirate captains there ever was. He could do anything he wanted—find the person who betrayed him and the rest of his crew, find the Island of Paradise, and even rule supreme on the ocean for as long as he lived. He could do all of that, as long as he didn't dwell too long over Lovina's death. He had more to do in life, and she didn't want to be the one who held him back. He would shine, whether she was there or not.

"-and for these reasons, the witch must burn! Do you agree?" Lovina tuned in just in time to hear the crowd cheering for her execution. She felt numb. From her month that she spent in the city, she had made several friends and acquaintances. Everyone she had met had been nothing but nice to her. It was almost impossible to believe that these same people were calling out for her death. Well, who needed them anyway? They were bigots who didn't care about anyone who was different from themselves. Lovina understood this. She pitied them; they would never be able to understand the beauty of something—or someone—who was so quintessentially _different_. It was there loss. While they would be living in their 'perfect' little world where everything was the same, Lovina would be dying for something she knew was beyond them. She was dying for the chance that those who were 'different' would be able to have the chance to live in peace. The thought gave her a sense of peace. She closed her eyes as the chancellor lit his torch and set her pyre on fire.

The smoke rose up quickly, choking her and bringing tears to her eyes. The heat started out low at first but as the fire caught more and more quickly it increased to something almost unbearable. It was a good thing she wasn't a singer; the smoke would have ruined her lungs so that she couldn't sing anymore. Lovina felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Here she was, acting like there was still a chance for her to live. She thought that she had already resigned herself to dying. She was still scared, though. She didn't want to die. She wanted to return to the ship with her sister, with her new friends, with her old friends, with Antonio. Oh God, she wanted to see Antonio one more time. She was scared of dying. She was scared of the fact that she was never going to see her loved ones again. And here she was, making jokes about possibly being saved. She just needed to accept the facts. She wasn't going to be saved. She couldn't be saved. Her rescue would just put others in danger, and that was something that she couldn't allow. As much as it hurt, she knew that she had to die. She bit her lip to hold back a scream as the fire started licking at her legs. She would not allow herself to give the crowd their satisfaction.

In the distance, Lovina swore that she could hear her name being called out. A few screams went up, though it was hard to hear them over the roar of the fire as it surrounded her on all sides. It sounded like Arthur and Alfred were attacking the guards after all. So they didn't leave the city; somehow, Lovina hadn't expected they would. They both loved the city too much to allow the corrupt chancellor and his guards keep control over it. She just hoped that they knew what they were doing. Maybe they would even be able to give her a proper burial after all of this.

"_Lovina!_"

Lovina smiled. Everyone was in good hands. Now, she felt that she could die in peace. She leant back against the post as the flames rose above her head.

* * *

><p>Despite her negative thoughts, Lovina's execution didn't go exactly as planned. Antonio's ship ended up landing at port days earlier than it was supposed to, giving him and his friends plenty of time to get to the city in time to save the day. The voice that she heard in the crowd belonged in fact to Antonio, who was furious that someone would try to burn his lover. He challenged the chancellor and won quite easily since he had pent up rage on his side. Alfred and Arthur saved Lovina from the stake, though her legs were badly burned. Roderich, who was doubling as the ship's doctor until Yao decided to join the crew, declared that she would still be able to dance with most of her mobility still intact, though she would forever have her burn scars. When she found out about this, Lovina shrugged. She could always wear something covering her legs.<p>

The revolution in the city was quick and violent. Afterwards, Alfred and Arthur had to flee or be executed as traitors. They chose the first option. In the end, the two were accepted into Antonio's crew. Antonio was grateful for their efforts of saving Lovina, and he saw the way that the two of them could fight. He told Lovina later that since he was looking for people to join his crew, then why not recruit people he knew that could fight and that he could trust to an extent? He didn't get along with Arthur, but then again he didn't get along with Lars, either. To everyone's surprise, Arthur eventually became second in command.

Lovina and Felicia, along with the rest of the people who were left of their original caravan continued to live in peace on the pirate ship. The people that they helped escape from the city, including their friends, gained passage from the port to another city that they knew would be safer than where they were living before. A few even decided to stay on board, since they had made friends with Lovina, Antonio, and the rest of their friends.

It seemed a little off, but Antonio and Lovina were married aboard Antonio's ship at sea. Alfred mediated for them, and needless to say it was a very interesting ceremony. The two were happy, though, so it worked out well.

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><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Six; Up Next!—What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate (though it's nothing like the movie this quote comes from).<em>


	37. Life 36 The Spy And The Screenwriter

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 36; The Superspy Who Loved The Screenwriter  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio is a superspy on the run, stuck in a foreign country. Lovino is a struggling screenwriter who needs inspiration for his next film. Can these two make it work?  
><em>_Rating__: T for language and some violent themes (one of them is a spy; what do you think is going to happen?)  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. Also, you may notice some...hints, towards a certain...spy series. Let's just say, I don't own it.  
><em>_Warning__: I don't know anything about the movie business, or the spy business. Also, you have to put up with my bad writing skills after a rather prolonged absence. Sorry about that… Oh, and a few swears here and there. I hope everything at least seemed a little believable…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, Francis, Arthur, Ludwig, Long (Vietnam), mentions of Alfred and Natalia, a few OC's who don't seem that important.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, Arthur/Francis (oh yeah, I went there), Ludwig/Long, Alfred/Natalia  
><em>_Word Count__: 11,557.  
><em>_Notes__: …so, I've been gone for a while. Sorry about that. Things happened, and I've been busy. Like, I now have a job! Yay! But I don't actually start until school starts, so that's still a ways off. I just wanted to warn you that I may change the updating schedule from one or two times a week to once a week or every two weeks. I'm going to try to keep it from going that far, but you never know with me. Also, the universe this happens in this chapter isn't the same as ours. There *is* a Germany, a France, and a Britain, but there are also other countries that don't exist here as well. Also, some of the countries that may exist in our world don't exist in theirs. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone, since I tried to keep where they are rather vague. It could be Australia, or New Zealand, or Japan, or somewhere completely different. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the (late) chapter! (Long author's note is long)_

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><p>Antonio raced along the rooftops, dodging every bullet that came his way. He had a grin on his face, knowing that no matter what the enemy threw at him, he would remain untouched. It wasn't anything personal; Antonio just happened to be the best spy that his organization had. He was trained in over nine styles of martial arts, some being so ancient and obscure that most thought they were extinct; he could speak fifteen languages, and he was learning a sixteenth one in his spare time; he had the best education that anyone could get; and he had access to the best gadgets to help him in his quest for national security. Compared to the people who were currently after him, he was untouchable. He glanced down at his wrist where a briefcase was currently handcuffed to him. Inside were top secret documents that he had to deliver back to the base as soon as he could. The things he had uncovered… Well, it was a long trip across the ocean. If he could get to the port in half an hour, then he would be able to make his ship. After that, it was smooth sailing, as they say.<p>

A sudden high-pitched whistling sound came from behind him. Antonio dove, landing on the rooftop hard enough to rattle the teeth in his jaw. He dove just in time, because a moment later the edge of the roof on the next building over exploded, crumbling into the street below. He threw a glare over his shoulder even though he knew that it would do nothing. He couldn't see his pursuers, and hopefully they wouldn't be able to see him. He couldn't count on this, though. Antonio rolled over so that he was crouching behind a low overhang on his roof, hoping that the shadows blocked him from sight. Somehow, the people after him obtained a rocket launcher. At least, that's what he assumed it was. It was a little too small to actually be a rocket…maybe a grenade. Yes, it was definitely a grenade launcher. Well, that made things tricky. Antonio glanced at his watch again. He had twenty minutes… he couldn't waste time thinking about the grenade launcher. He had to make that ship; otherwise, he would be stuck in the country.

Antonio sucked in a deep breath before he took off across the roof. He heard the tale-tell sounds of grenades being lobbed his way, but he didn't lose his concentration. Instead, he merely dodged out of the way when it seemed that one came too close for his liking. When he reached the end of the available roofs, Antonio lurched to a stop. It was a forty foot drop from where he was, and there weren't very many objects that he could use to break his fall. He swore. It would take too long to backtrack and try to find a set of stairs that led down, and Antonio didn't have time. He had to be at the dock soon. He couldn't waste time like that. He looked around desperately, trying to stay in the shadows. To his left was a set of rusty emergency steps that led to a ladder going down. It wouldn't have been Antonio's first choice; he didn't even know if it could hold his weight. The sound of running and shouts from behind decided things for him. He ran towards the steps and threw himself down them, ignoring the shuddering that the rusty ladder made when he hurried down. Now was not the time to suddenly develop vertigo. Just as Antonio touched down on the ground, the first sign of his pursuers showed themselves at the top of the ladder. Antonio allowed himself a mild grin in their direction before he took off again, weaving his way around the buildings that stood in his way.

Unfortunately, taking the time to properly lose his pursuers meant that Antonio was running late. By the time he reached the harbor, his ship was already pulling out of the bay. He was stuck in the country, for who knew how long.

"Well, damn."

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><p>Lovino Vargas led a simple life. He got up in the morning, he went to work, he got yelled at by his boss, he yelled at other people (usually his secretary), he came home and went to bed, and then his day started over again. Yes, Lovino was one to live by a schedule with no time for anything else going on in his life. And he hated it. Other people were able to live exciting lives; even the people he wrote about had better lives than he did. It just wasn't fair sometimes.<p>

You see, Lovino is a screen writer. He made quite a name for himself a few years ago when he started writing for horror movies. This was back when he still had free time. Lovino always knew that he had a hit on his hand whenever he would invite his neighbor, Alfred Jones, over to hear what he had written so far. Alfred was notorious for being absolutely terrified of horror movies, yet he loved to watch and hear about them whenever he could. Lovino used his neighbor as a measure for how good something was. If Alfred screamed bloody murder and the cops had to be called over to his house then he had a blockbuster on his hands. If Alfred barely whimpered, then it was time to either scrap the idea or give it a total overhaul. Unfortunately for Lovino, Alfred's wife became tired of having her husband come back home practically catatonic most days. Natalia packed up her belongings as well as Alfred and moved away. Lovino, with no one else to test his material on, had to give up the horror genre. Currently he was trying to come up with something else, maybe something with action or romance in it. Those were big sellers, but he just couldn't get the inspiration for them. It was part of the reason why Lovino was always being yelled at by his boss lately. He knew that he was slipping, but Lovino kept trying his hardest. His boss had become too fed up with him by now, however.

Lovino was offered an ultimatum. He was either going to present a good script for the coming summer's blockbuster, or he was fired. Lovino swore under his breath as he walked down the street. At least that Limey bastard let him have a week to come up with something. Lovino was officially banned from coming into the offices for the next week so that he 'wouldn't be distracted' while coming up with something. Please. Kirkland probably was just tired of having Lovino's secretary, Francis, come crying to him about how 'awful' he was being treated. The two were married, and Lovino was sick and tired of having to literally be in between them at work, especially if they were in the middle of a fight. _Why_ he couldn't have a nice, pretty _woman_ secretary, he didn't know. It must have been favoritism or something; there's no way Francis would have gotten the job otherwise.

He cast a look around, trying to figure out where he was now. It probably wasn't a good idea to go storming off down the street when you were too angry to pay attention to where you were going, but that was just how Lovino showed his anger. His anger-management teacher helped him so that he didn't lash out physically at anyone anymore, but he still had to have some way to work off his frustration. For Lovino, that meant walking around until he wasn't so angry anymore. He still knew where he was, though, since he had inadvertently walked the way towards his home. Usually Lovino took a bus or a cab to the offices, but it was rather nice in its own way to be able to walk home. For one thing, his apartment was a fair distance from where he worked, so by now he had already burned off most of his frustration. It was also nice to be able to smell the fresh air, instead of having to be cooped up in a dirty bus full of other people, or worse, one of the city's cabs.

From what he could see, he was just outside of a café that was tucked away, giving the patrons a sense of privacy. Lovino didn't really believe in all of that kitschy bull-crap about having to have a place to 'find his center' and 'calm' so that he could write. But, he supposed, he was already out of other ideas; may as well try this one out before completely writing it off as utter nonsense. Shifting his laptop bag on his shoulder, he set foot inside. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but the place seemed nice enough. It wasn't as 'Zen'-y as he had originally thought, which was a plus. There were a few knick-knacks here and there, but they seemed more like something that once belonged in someone's house instead of the kind of cheap crap that places like this usually ordered to follow some kind of 'theme'. He wasn't an expert, but he thought that it might have been East Asian, possibly Vietnamese. Lovino looked around for a moment before choosing a table in the corner with a good view out the storefront window.

He had been seated for a minute or so, contemplating what his next move would be, when a waitress came towards him. So far she was the only waitress he had seen in the restaurant. Well, it was rather small inside, and there weren't that many customers either. It was probably a family-run business. The woman came over, looking vaguely uncomfortable in her waitress outfit. She kept surreptitiously pulling on the skirt in an effort to try to make it longer. She had long black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. She glanced over him with a frown on her face, but Lovino had a feeling that she always frowned.

"Welcome to The Iron Lotus. My name is Long Beilschmidt. Can I get you anything?" Lovino's eye twitched at the random German last name, but didn't think anything about it. She didn't seem German; maybe she was married to one. Lovino did notice a marriage ring on her hand when she came over. Poor woman. He cleared his throat and ordered a simple coffee. The woman—Long—nodded and brusquely walked off towards where Lovino assumed was the kitchen. She called something out in Vietnamese and a blond head poked out of the kitchen. From what Lovino could see, he had a stern look on his face as well as cold blue eyes that seemed to lighten up when he saw his wife. This must have been the waitress's German husband. He talked to his wife in a low voice before retreating back into the kitchen. Long turned around and started attending to another table of customers that had walked in while Lovino wasn't paying any attention.

A few minutes later, once he had his warm cup of coffee, Lovino opened his laptop and pulled up an empty page to type on. The little cursor that blinked on and off seemed to be taunting him as he scowled at the page. How did Kirkland expect Lovino to come up with a blockbuster in a week? He knew the stuffy Brit hated him, but even this seemed a little much. It took hours upon hours of meticulous planning to get something even remotely good enough to show at the box office, and here he was expected to make a blockbuster. A fucking. Blockbuster. Even when Lovino had been in his prime with the horror genre, he had still needed at least a month to get everything right and that was with Alfred helping him. Maybe if he glared hard enough at his computer screen, something would suddenly appear…nope. Still nothing. Lovino groaned, hitting his head against his keyboard. Life sucked sometimes.

"Are you okay?"

Lovino looked up, slightly surprised to see a man sitting at the next table, looking at him in concern. Just what he needed to top this whole fucking day off, a _man's_ concern. What next, his laptop getting stolen? He ground out "I'm fine," before looking back at his screen. A series of jumbled letters and numbers appeared on the screen where he had hit the keyboard with his head. Maybe if he submitted something like this in to Kirkland, he could at least say that it was his attempt at writing comedy…no, better not. Lovino still had standards, and he would _not_ give in to the 'easy' choice of writing…_shudder_, **comedy**.

"You don't look alright," the stranger said. He had slightly wavy brown hair and warm, green eyes. He looked like he was willing to listen. Well, Lovino figured after a moment, he did want someone to rant to. He therapist had told him that it was bad to keep things bottled up. And well, if this guy wanted to hear Lovino bitch and moan about how the world wasn't fair, then why not let him? Lovino let out a long, low sigh.

"It's my boss," he said finally. "He wants me to come up with a blockbuster movie—and script—by next week. If I don't, then I'm fired." The stranger whistled lowly.

"Wow, that sucks," he said. "Do you have anything written down yet? If so, then maybe you could just pull a couple of all-nighters and submit what you come up with. It'll probably be edited, right? You can work on the rest then." While that sounded like a good idea, there was something wrong with it.

"Yeah, but I don't have anything. I can't even think of a single, stupid idea to write down. I'm trying to write action, maybe even romance if I'm desperate enough, and I can't come up with something original to bring back to Kirkland—my boss." The stranger sat forward, interested.

"Kirkland…from Magical Pixie Studios?" Lovino winced. He hated that he worked for a company with such an embarrassing name. Even if it _was_ the best in the business, it was still too embarrassing. Everyone who worked there, with the exception of Kirkland who named the damn thing, just called it MPS. Sometimes it hurt to even acknowledge that one actually _worked_ there. As far as Lovino knew, even Francis didn't call it by the full name, and he was _married_ to Kirkland. That had to say something; Lovino just didn't know what that something was.

"That's the one."

The stranger leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. Lovino stared at his empty coffee mug, contemplating. If he was really upset, he could probably liken it to his life, somehow. He wasn't that bad off, yet, though. Instead, he wondered if he could manage to get a refill without having to talk to the big, scary German guy. That guy had the sternest looking face that Lovino had ever seen—if he could avoid it, he'd rather not talk to him directly. He had a feeling that the big guy could probably stare into his soul and steal it just as easily as he might look at someone.

Of course, that could just be Lovino's bad mood rubbing off on him and coloring his perceptions of other people, but he'd rather not take the chance.

"I have an idea," the stranger said suddenly, interrupting Lovino's reverie. "You probably hear people say that they have ideas for movies all the time, though," he trailed off. At this point, though, Lovino was desperate.

"N-not as much as you would think," Lovino said, trying to go for casual. He glanced around, making sure that there was no one he knew listening in. He would never live it down if it was found out that he had to be saved by some random fan with an idea. "What do you have in mind? Though, I should warn you, if it's not any good then I won't use it!" To his surprise, the stranger smirked.

"Oh, I think you'll find it a thriller…"

* * *

><p>Antonio didn't know how he got to be so lucky. After his ship sailed away (no metaphor intended; he still felt a little stung about that), he had no idea how he was going to get his intel to his bosses. His orders were very clear; if he couldn't make the ship, then he was on his own. He was stuck in the country until he could get himself out. And, considering there were very powerful people watching all modes of transportation in and out of the country, as well as the fact that Antonio was out of money, that didn't seem to be too likely to happen any time soon. But then Antonio met that screenwriter in the out of the way café.<p>

He wasn't even too sure why he had stopped there in the first place. He had just managed to avoid the people who were looking for him, so he had picked somewhere to lay low for a couple of hours. However, the place was rather empty-looking, with a large window that left no part of the café out of eyesight from the street. He just needed to find someone to engage in conversation with, so it wouldn't seem weird that he was sitting by himself for hours on end. That was when he heard the person next to them bang their head on their keyboard.

Admittedly, Antonio _had_ been a little worried for the guy. He didn't look like he was having a good day, and he could relate. He wanted nothing more than to tell someone all about what he was going through, like how he had finally gotten the briefcase off of his wrist. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that without putting the other person in danger. He figured that it was the least he could do to let the other guy spill his guts. At least one of them should leave feeling better about themselves. When he had first heard the other start to talk, he couldn't help but think 'you think that's bad? The worst you're facing is getting fired; I could get _killed_, and this whole country could go down, along with quite a few others as well, including _my own_!' He kept quiet, though, because no one was supposed to know about that other stuff. It was when he mentioned that he worked for _the_ biggest movie making company _in the freaking world_ that Antonio had his brilliant idea.

This screenwriter was looking for a new blockbuster, preferably something action-related. Antonio needed some secret way to get what he knew back to his bosses without the enemy intercepting his message. Why not use this guy as a way to pass on that information? If the movie really was a blockbuster, then it would play in several different countries, including the one that Antonio worked for. The people who were after him were powerful, but even they wouldn't suspect that their intel was being leaked as a movie plot. Even if they did somehow find out afterwards, it's not like they could stop a company like MPS from making another blockbuster hit. Really, how did Antonio get so lucky? This was the perfect solution!

Of course, there was the chance that the people who were after him may try to go after the screenwriter first, to see what kind of information he knew. Antonio couldn't risk involving civilians, so he only told part of the information. Hopefully, Leon over in the intelligence monitoring room would pick up the hints that Antonio had left and would relay them over to the people in charge. Leon was pretty good at looking for the obscure, so Antonio wasn't that worried.

Since he had to be selective with what sort of things he leaked, he only told the screenwriter—who he found out was named Lovino Vargas—the bare minimum. He told the story of a world class superspy, one who had great daring, grace, poise, and was an international man of mystery; that is, to say, Antonio talked about himself, or at least what he thought he was like. Since there were several documents in the briefcase that he had, Antonio chose one at random and gave the idea to Lovino to use however he wanted to use it. He may have also slipped the screenwriter the idea that he was also a ladies' man; hey, it couldn't hurt, right? Lovino seemed like he had quite an imagination, so as soon as the words left Antonio's mouth, Lovino's fingers were already flying over the keyboard in front of him, speeding away as he worked to capture each piece of his imagination. When Lovino finally slowed down enough to look over at Antonio, he faced him with an expression of awe.

"I think you just saved my career," he said, shocked. Antonio smiled. He could have said the exact same thing back to him. Lovino looked around him distractedly as he gathered his things. Antonio checked the time on his watch. He was surprised to see that he had been in there, chatting with Lovino for about a good five hours now. It would be safe for him to leave, but he had to make sure that he would still be able to get in touch with Lovino for the next 'movie'. Lovino solved that problem for him. "Um…thanks, I guess I should say," Lovino mumbled, standing up. Antonio stood as well, since he figured he should leave soon. He would have to find somewhere to stay for however long he would be in the city. "I…I might not be able to remember all of the details that you came up with," Lovino continued when they were at the doorway. "Is there some way I can contact you? You know, to make sure I get everything right? Since this is technically your movie…"

Okay, that was something that Antonio hadn't been expecting. If Lovino decided to do something noble like make sure that his name appeared in the credits, then Antonio would be hunted down before he even knew what happened. Smiling, he steered the conversation into safer territories. "No, no, it's _your_ movie. All I really did was help inspire you. I have a few more ideas if you need more help, but please, it's your movie. What would your boss say if he knew that you were getting help from someone else for this?" That was a low move, but it had to be done. Lovino winced and nodded, looking like he was okay with keeping Antonio's name out of the credits.

"That's true," Lovino trailed off. "Well, I might still have some questions about the script. Is there some way to contact you?" Antonio wondered about that. He would need to keep tabs on Lovino, of course. If something happened to him because of this 'movie idea', then Antonio wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Only really bad spies actually get innocents involved, and he was _not_ a bad spy. Antonio glanced back at the building they had left and had an idea.

"How about back at the restaurant?" he suggested. "I'll be there every day, so if you need me for something you can find me there." Antonio would have stayed a little while longer and chatted, since he was usually an amiable guy, but he didn't like being out in the open for so long while carrying the briefcase. He said a hasty goodbye to Lovino and left, setting off to find a cheap motel to stay at for now.

* * *

><p>Ever since he met that strange guy at the café, Lovino was amazed by how his whole life started turning around. The inspiration flowed through his fingers into his keyboard and onto the computer screen unbidden. Even writing for horror hadn't been this easy. It helped that he had someone as a model for how he thought the lead character would act. Since his boss was British, he copied some of Kirkland's mannerisms and put them into the main character. His impression of a spy was someone sophisticated, and half of the time that's what his boss acted like. Then Kirkland would see Lovino and would start yelling at him. Lovino wasn't sure what he had ever done—maybe Kirkland felt that he was the only one allowed to yell at Francis—but he had somehow managed to get on the man's bad side. Well, that was fine with Lovino. It wasn't like he chose this job to be liked.<p>

And at any rate, that was only part of who he thought about whenever he wrote about his new main character. The other qualities, like personality, skills, looks, that sort of thing, Lovino based off of the man who had brought him the idea. He felt that it was only fair, since the guy didn't want to have any credit given to him. This happened sometimes; some people just didn't want to be involved in showbiz, and Lovino respected their choices. Sometimes, he didn't want to be involved, either.

But the thing that got to him was that he didn't even know the guy's name! He was so wrapped up in the fact that he wouldn't be losing his job that Lovino had completely forgotten to ask for his name. Even at the meetings that they had afterward at the café, somehow the subject of what the other man's name was never came up. Lovino was puzzled; completely and utterly puzzled. What could his name be? And why did it seem like he didn't want Lovino to know? The few times when he had been about to ask, the stranger suddenly remembered something and either changed the subject or left. As peculiar as this was, it didn't match whenever the stranger became adamant that certain parts of the movie had to be a certain way. This was usually with certain plot elements, such as the technology that the villain used or what sorts of things that the villain wanted to do with it. Antonio let Lovino do whatever he wanted with the villains themselves and with everything else but he kept pushing the parts with the technology and the plans. Lovino was actually okay with this, since he thought that it made the whole thing seem more interesting, but it was still strange that he was so serious about these parts. When Lovino brought this up, the stranger (was he really a stranger by now?) had merely smiled and said something about it being a condition on using his idea for the movie. If this was all he wanted, then Lovino was happy enough to leave him with his eccentricities. Hey, this was a movie town; it was hard to find people who _weren't_ eccentric.

Putting the mystery guy aside for the moment, Lovino focused on his work. It was almost a complete week since he had been issued his ultimatum. He was scheduled to deliver his script in to Kirkland's office in the morning, so he wanted to make sure that it was perfect. This was literally his job riding on this idea; if Kirkland didn't like it, then he was out. Already his boss hated him, so Lovino needed to show him something that would make him hesitate before dismissing him. Lovino went over his script dozens of times, and he was fairly confident that it was a good one. All he had to do was wait for tomorrow to come.

* * *

><p>Antonio waited anxiously in his usual café. He knew that as a spy on the run it was generally a bad idea to make habits, especially of places where you might go. However, this was the only place he knew where he would be able to see Lovino. The screenwriter should be arriving soon after presenting his new movie idea and script to his boss. Antonio, of course, needed to know if it was going to be accepted or not. If he couldn't get his message out to the people he worked with, then he would invariably be stuck in this country for who knew how long. One of the worst things about this country was that it was basically one large island, so the only way in or out was by boat or by plane. The people who were after him would no doubt be patrolling those places on the lookout for him. The country wasn't even bordered by another country, so he couldn't even skip over the border and escape that way. Antonio was stuck, and unless he could pass on his situation to his organization then he would have to stay there for quite a long time. If the movie idea didn't pan out, Antonio would just have to think of a new way to send a message out without being caught.<p>

Forcing himself to calm down, Antonio ordered another coffee and thought. Abstract thought was one of the best ways of distracting him whenever he was worried about something. In this case, Antonio turned his thoughts to the person he had been thinking about a lot lately—Lovino.

He knew that it wasn't fair that he knew Lovino's name but Lovino didn't know his name. It was safer, though, for both Lovino and for Antonio himself. As long as Lovino didn't know his name, he couldn't really identify who Antonio really was, which would hopefully both keep Antonio out of danger and make sure that Lovino wouldn't be targeted. If he didn't know who he was talking to, then nobody would think that he really knew anything. At least, that was what Antonio told himself.

Despite his attempts otherwise, he was really starting to care about Lovino. Several times when they were meeting up to go over the script Antonio felt a sudden urge to tell the screenwriter the truth. Once, he had even almost had the words out. Antonio didn't know what to do. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he had never been around someone like Lovino before, either. Lovino was like a mystery to Antonio, and he did love mysteries. Lovino was loud, brash, rude, and insulting, but there was also a side to him that was caring, shy, nervous, and unsure. It amazed Antonio when he had first seen this other side to the other man. He never knew that people could really be like that before. Everyone he knew was always exactly what they seemed to be. Lovino was the first person to show Antonio that there were actually hidden depths to people. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Whenever he saw Lovino now, he always looked for that hidden person underneath the front that he put on for others to see.

Antonio leant back in his chair and sighed heavily, running his hand over his face. As a spy, he knew it was dangerous to get involved with civilians, whatever the relationship. He had enemies out there, and not just the ones that were keeping him in the country. It wouldn't be right to put Lovino through all of that, especially if they weren't really dating. Hell, Lovino didn't even know his name! The smart thing to do would be to sever ties with Lovino as soon as possible. At least, that's what Antonio wished he could do. The real smart thing would be to hang back and take stock of the situation as he continued to provide hints and clues to his organization. If Lovino's movie pitch went okay, then Antonio would have to keep supplying him with more 'ideas'.

He almost wished that the movie pitch would be a bust; at least that way Antonio could continue on before anything happened between them.

He looked up when he heard the bell above the door ring. Lovino walked through in a daze, barely noticing the people around him. He didn't even flinch like how he usually does around the big blond guy who usually worked in the kitchens came over and asked him if he was okay. The pretty Vietnamese lady who co-owned the café approached her husband and laid a hand on his arm as he stared in shock when Lovino passed by him. That worried Antonio; it wasn't like Lovino to not even acknowledge the blond man when he came in. Usually he did so either by flinching, flinging a random (and I mean _random_) insult at him, or ignoring him in the most obvious way someone could. But Lovino didn't even act like he knew where he was, let alone who was around him. He stumbled through the café, approaching the table that Antonio was at. Antonio rose from his seat, unsure what to do. Obviously things must have been going bad for Lovino. Antonio couldn't help but feel that it was his fault. He somehow managed to get Lovino into the seat across from him where they sat in silence for quite a while.

Antonio floundered around for a moment, looking for a way to reassure Lovino. He had, of course, just thought that it would be best if the pitch had been rejected. He didn't count on how badly Lovino would take it, however. He had forgotten that if the pitch went over badly, then it would mean that he would lose his job. How selfish he had been; and how presumptuous, too. It wasn't like there was really that great of a chance that they would end up in a relationship, or even something close to one. It was just a brief infatuation, and Antonio was taking his insecurities and worries over everything out on this poor man. He knew, of course, that his wishing couldn't possibly have affected Lovino's boss's decision, but he still felt guilty about it. He was already putting his life in danger just by trying to use the man to send a message out to his organization, he didn't need to risk Lovino's job on top of that.

"I think I can guess how it went," he said finally, softly. Lovino continued to stare straight in front of him, giving no sign that he had heard Antonio at all. "I know you're upset because you didn't get the pitch, but you shouldn't worry about it. There are lots of other companies that would love your work, I'm sure of it. And anyway, who cares what that stupid Kirkland thinks? If he can't appreciate what you do for him, then he's not worth it-"

"He said okay."

Antonio paused mid-speech, surprised to hear Lovino finally say something at all, let alone in a somewhat steady voice. "Excuse me?"

"I said that he said it was okay," Lovino said again, his voice becoming steadily stronger. He finally looked Antonio straight in the eye, the first sign that he was okay and gave a big grin. Antonio was surprised at how beautiful he found that grin. Lovino continued on, his words becoming more and more excited. "Kirkland—I don't know what he was expecting, but I don't think he thought that I could do this. But then I showed him the script, and he said it was great! Well, he didn't really say that of course, since he hates me and all, but my secretary—his husband—said that in 'Arthur-speak', that meant that he loved it! They're going to hand it over to one of their better directors, and filming should start in a few months. I still can't really believe it…"

Antonio blinked, surprised—pleasantly so—about this news. It looked like things were starting to look up for the two of them, but for different reasons. "Well, you deserve this," he said resolutely, thinking about the hidden danger that Lovino was in, and all because of him.

Just the other night, Antonio had had an all-out brawl with a few of the people who had finally caught up to him. Antonio managed to lead them away from town and safely disposed of the bodies. If anything, this latest attack just highlighted the danger that he was constantly putting Lovino in just by being around him, as well as this café. Antonio was starting to develop habits the longer he stayed here, and he knew that they would continue to include this wonderful café. In good conscience, he couldn't continue to put all of these innocent people in danger. If Lovino landing his job along with the movie going through quickly meant that he could get his message out faster, then that was all Antonio could do. He couldn't leave, no matter how much he wanted to (and lately, he was starting to wonder if he really wanted to).

Lovino flushed, pleased. Ordering a coffee, he turned back to Antonio with a grin on his face. "Francis—that's my secretary—told me that if the movie does well in the box offices, they'll want to make a sequel…and they want _me_ to write it! I couldn't have done any of this without you, you know."

Antonio felt a slow wave of warmth come over him at the compliment. He had a feeling that Lovino didn't give them out very easily. It was like he was finally seeing the real Lovino, the one that he kept hidden behind his own persona. It might have been his imagination, but he thought that he might have been blushing. Antonio cleared his throat. "Well, you know, all I did was give you a prompt. You're the one who changed it into an actual plot and script. It was your own hard work that got you this far; all I did was nudge you a little in the right direction."

Lovino snorted. "Yeah right. I was completely clueless and stuck before you came along. I'd probably be out of a job right now if it weren't for you." Lovino looked down, his voice turning soft. "And I don't even know your name."

Antonio swallowed. He knew what the right thing to do here would be. The right thing would be to say 'I know,' and then walk out and never see Lovino again. But just the thought of doing that, after Antonio had already worked so hard to be able to see the other side of the screenwriter, hurt. It honestly hurt to think that he would never see Lovino again. Antonio had a pretty good threshold for pain, since part of his job was to fight people who got in his way. He could stand a broken arm or a torn ligament, or even a dislocated shoulder quite easily; it was what he was trained for. But this kind of hurt was different. It was something that he thought no amount of training would be able to get him to tolerate it. He had once broken his arm in five different places, and even that kind of pain didn't compare to what he was feeling. Antonio wanted it to stop. He had to make the pain stop, and there was only one way he knew how…

"Antonio. My name is Antonio."

* * *

><p>Okay, so it wasn't actually a full name. Lovino could deal with it, though. Antonio was much better than 'the stranger'. 'The stranger' made Lovino feel like he couldn't approach him, like he was somewhere that Lovino couldn't possibly hope to join. Yeah, that sounded wimpy and dramatic, but that's just how he felt. Growing up, he had hated feeling like he was outside of the crowd, like they had some big secret that they were keeping away from Lovino. Antonio, however, made Lovino feel like they were actually on the same planet.<p>

B-but anyway, the pitch went over great. Even the director that they got to film the movie seemed excited about the upcoming project. Kirkland was still being an ass to Lovino, but he didn't take it personally anymore. He just figured that Kirkland was probably one of those people who just hates everyone. When he brought this up with Francis, the Frenchman hesitantly agreed. Lovino could understand this, since he was married to the man. Francis was probably okay with being the only one to bad mouth his husband, but he didn't like it when someone else did. That was just how their relationship was; they both felt that they were the only one who could actually make fun of the other person.

Soon, Lovino became busy with helping to ensure the movie went okay and helping out wherever he could. The company probably sensed that this would be a blockbuster movie. Everything sped along at an incredible pace. Half a year later, and the movie was finally released. The success was instantaneous, and even before the full week was through there was already an outcry for a sequel. When Lovino told Antonio this, he seemed pleased. He asked Lovino once if the movie would be shown overseas, and Lovino told him that with the kind of press it was getting from here, it was sure to be released overseas within a month. Antonio seemed strangely pleased by this, though it was probably because he was excited that the movie he helped create (whether he admitted it or not) was doing well. In fact, Lovino was shocked at how generous his bonus for this movie was. In the past, he had only received this kind of payment for his really big horror movies, specifically the ones that eventually drove his neighbor away. Lovino didn't feel right accepting this much money, especially since the plot wasn't entirely his. Antonio was the one who gave him the idea, as well as the specifics to use. He was also, Lovino was embarrassed to admit, the inspiration for the main character. Lovino may not have been the most pleasant person in the world, but he paid his debts. He wouldn't let Antonio leave the café without taking his cut of the money. Antonio seemed embarrassed, but he eventually gave in. Lovino was a genius at negotiations.

Though, Antonio _had_ seemed rather red-faced whenever Lovino started pouting. Eh, it was probably nothing.

Today, Lovino was the first one in the café. He flirted subtly with Long, glared at her husband Ludwig, and ordered a coffee—all per usual. Lovino was staring at his laptop again, feeling eerily reminiscent of the first time he had met Antonio. Well, this time he actually had a few ideas jotted down, but he was still getting stuck. He was good at coming up with characters, and sometimes even plot (though usually only for horror movies, which tended to follow along the same lines every time), but he wasn't good at figuring out what a _spy_ would do. What sort of missions would he go on? What sort of villains would he encounter? Lovino could come up with a character for a villain easily, but figuring out what their evil plan would be was hard. What sort of technology would they use against the hero? What sort of threats would they make? Would they threaten someone with a weapon? If so, what kind of weapon? What would their plan be for world domination, or whatever it was that they were after?

For some reason, Antonio seemed really good at coming up with this kind of thing. He could come up with doom weapons the like that would actually hold a country hostage if put in the wrong hands, as well as what a villain would do with such a thing to achieve their goals. Some people were just exceptionally gifted with imagination. Lovino was, as well, but his imagination tended to head toward the darker aspects of life. He was actually the one who came up with the method of 'torture' in his first spy movie, something that Antonio, Kirkland and a few others were quite impressed with. Lovino figured that if he couldn't write horror anymore, then he could at least add a few of the elements of a good horror movie to his new action one. So far, the reception had been great, but that just meant that he was under pressure to make his next one just as good, if not better. To be able to do this, he needed Antonio's creative mind, as well as that strange briefcase that he carried around with him everywhere. He said that he kept his notes in there, but Lovino thought that a folder or something similar would have done the job just as easily. Oh, well. Like he had said before, everyone was allowed their own little eccentricities. If Antonio wanted to carry his good-luck briefcase (or so Lovino assumed) everywhere, then he was more than entitled to. After all, he was the one who was saving Lovino's career.

"Hi, Lovi! Did you miss me?" Lovino looked up with a slight smile on his face. Just the person he wanted to see, even if Antonio still called him by that weird nickname. He wasn't sure where it came from, but apparently it was here to stay. It didn't matter what Lovino said, Antonio would still call him by that name. Worst of all, he was even starting to get used to it. He rolled his eyes to try and bring attention away from his smile that was for some reason still there. Weird.

"Hey, Antonio," said Lovino. He ignored that last part. He moved his laptop over so that Antonio could read what he had so far. I've already developed a few new characters and scenes, but I'm not sure what the big 'evil plan' is going to be. Do you have any ideas?" Antonio smiled and pulled out his briefcase. He flipped through a few papers before picking one and nodding to himself. He scanned it quickly and turned to Lovino with a smile on his face.

"How about this idea…" Lovino nodded along, liking what he was hearing so far. He was glad that Antonio had so many ideas written down. Lovino had seen some of the papers that were in there, even if he didn't actually read them. If he went with the idea that there was a story idea per page, then he would be set for the next several movies. Lovino wouldn't have been able to keep them all straight in his head, and he wasn't sure if Antonio would be able to either. It turned out that he was a step ahead of Lovino, though, if he had already written (or typed, as some of those pages looked) the ideas out. At least one of them was organized.

After Lovino wrote down the main points on a spare piece of notebook paper that he had brought with him, he looked over at Antonio, who had gone silent. Lovino studied Antonio. He looked preoccupied, like he was looking for someone. Lovino tried to keep down the surge of jealousy he felt at the idea. It was ridiculous. He shouldn't be jealous of Antonio looking for someone. He was probably feeling this way because he had only just learned Antonio's name. Odds were that Antonio had already told whoever he was looking for his name. Lovino was just feeling insecure because it had taken him so long to ask the other man what his name was. It was probably something left over from his childhood, but he wanted to be able to feel special to someone. Just the thought that there was someone else possibly coming into his friendship with Antonio was unsettling and making a rage boil in the pit of Lovino's stomach. It was very juvenile, and reminded Lovino unflatteringly of a child throwing a jealous temper tantrum. Not wanting to risk his friendship with Antonio, Lovino clenched down on his negative feelings and promised himself that he would unleash his pent up emotions into his writing. The villain that he wanted to try out this time was supposed to be a master of psychological torture; that seemed like the best way to vent his dark feelings.

"Lovi? Are you feeling okay?" He looked up to see Antonio watching him with a worried expression on his face. Lovino looked away, embarrassed at having been caught. He murmured something noncommittally. Antonio didn't look like he completely believed him, but he didn't say anything. Lovino had a sudden idea and decided to act on impulse.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me?" he asked. "We could see the one that we"-at a look from Antonio he backtracked "-I mean _I_ wrote. What do you say? You probably haven't even seen it yet." At first Lovino thought that he might say no, since it was such a sudden request. To his surprise, and hidden pleasure, Antonio agreed. Lovino couldn't quite keep the smug smile off his face as they left the café. It looked like Antonio would be going to the movies with him instead of spending time with whomever it was that he was looking for.

* * *

><p>Antonio was starting to get really, really tired of this. He had been in the country, and in the same <em>city<em> for over half a year now. He knew that his organization was probably worried about him by now, but he also knew that they couldn't do anything to get him out, either. For one thing, they probably didn't even know if he was still alive or not. Another concern was that his organization was placed in a country that wasn't exactly allies with the one that he was currently in. They weren't enemies, thank goodness, but they also didn't exactly have the friendliest relations. They couldn't exactly go over to the country's embassy and ask for him to be returned, especially since he was a spy, he had been investigating certain facilities that had government backing, and he was technically there illegally. As far as anyone was concerned, Antonio Carriedo had never been to this country.

That didn't mean that others didn't know he was there, though. Officially, the government 'didn't know anything'. They may even actually not know anything; the facility that Antonio had broken into claimed to be 'absolutely safe', especially since they were entrusted with so many governmental secrets and projects. It would probably embarrass them to have to admit that a single, solitary man had been able to do what they claimed was impossible. On the other hand, that also meant that they were keenly interested in protecting their reputation. Antonio had already had to face off against several other hit squads that were sent by the facility themselves, and he was starting to get tired of it. They obviously knew which city he was in, since all of the squads sent after him would have had to report in where they were going next. The fact that they would have stopped contacting back to their base after Antonio…finished with them would have doubtlessly told them that he was here. What worried Antonio, though, was that the people they sent after him never seemed to get any better or stronger than the last one. This didn't make any sense. Usually you would start sending out stronger people to take down the threat; the fact that they weren't said something bad. Most likely it was because they were watching him to learn his schedule and habits so that they could take him down when he least expected it. By sending out the weaker people, they both made sure that Antonio didn't get suspicious about hot being attacked and also whittled down his defenses. Either way, the best thing to do would be to leave. If he varied up his routine and chose another city to inhabit for a while, then he would be able to get rid of the people following him…at least for the moment.

There was another reason, though, why Antonio was anxious to leave; if the people after him really were watching his every move, then they no doubt already knew about Lovino. They would then look up everything they could about Lovino, such as where he worked and lived. They would see that he was a screenwriter who had recently wrote the script for the latest action movie out…a spy movie, that just so happened to have elements in it that seemed strangely familiar. It wouldn't be very long before they decided to 'question' Lovino about Antonio. Worst case scenario, they decided to either kidnap him and use him as a hostage against Antonio…or straight out kill him.

Of course, Antonio knew that there was the chance that they didn't even know about Lovino. However, he couldn't count on that chance. Better they didn't know, and keep it that way by distracting them with his movements.

First, though, he had to lose the guys who were following him right now.

Turning down a deserted alley, Antonio walked a few paces until he heard the tell-tale sounds of people following him. Two…no, three people. He continued on as if he hadn't noticed a thing. The footsteps neither came any closer nor got any farther away. That was their first mistake. If they wanted Antonio to think that they weren't after him, then they should have altered up their stepping patterns. After a few more turns, when Antonio was sufficiently sure that they were out of eyesight and hearing distance of anyone who would interfere he turned around quickly, catching his followers off guard. He looked them over. They were slightly muscular, about his height and with the build and stance, along with the haircuts, of ex-military. That meant that they knew hand-to-hand combat, and probably excelled at it, and that wasn't even mentioning that they most likely had some kind of weapon on them. Finally, it seemed like they were taking him seriously. Antonio smirked.

"Hello, boys," he said conversationally. "Who wants to go first?"

The fight went by slowly. Maybe this had been their plan all along; wear him down by sending in the small fry and then come at him with the big guns. Literally. Antonio had been right before; at least two of them pulled out rather large handguns with silencers attached to them. Antonio was glad. At least that way he wouldn't attract any attention his way. It still didn't change the fact that he was up against three men, two of whom had guns. He took the unarmed guy out pretty easily, but the ones with the guns were pretty tough. The only thing that saved Antonio from getting shot a few times was the briefcase that was still handcuffed to his wrist. The only time the handcuffs ever came off was when he was with Lovino; it would have been rather hard to explain something like that. It was just lucky that Antonio had packed longs sleeves; otherwise he would have had to explain the marks that they made. The briefcase was made of a special metal that, apparently, repelled bullets. Antonio grinned when he saw this. It looked like he had his own personal shield.

After tussling with the two for a few more minutes, Antonio finally knocked them out using the sides of his briefcase. Antonio smirked tiredly. He still had it after all. He was just turning to leave when a hand grabbed hold of his ankle. Antonio looked down at the first guy, the one who had been unarmed.

"You think…you're so clever…don't you," he ground out, clearly in pain. Maybe Antonio _was_ losing his touch after all; he should have been left unconscious for at least another good twenty minutes. When continued to just stare at the man, the man clenched his eyes tight and ground out "We already know…about your special…_friend._ We have people…on their way right now…to where he is. You'll never make it in time." Antonio's blood chilled at his words. He kicked the guy in the face, sending him back to unconsciousness. He raced out of the alley as quickly as he could.

He had to save Lovino.

* * *

><p>Lovino sat on a bench outside of his offices, depressed. He knew that his boss hated him, but he didn't know how much. This…it went beyond the normal hatred that a boss has for his underling. He knew that Kirkland was rather possessive of Francis, but this seemed rather excessive.<p>

It was about half an hour ago that he went to Kirkland's office, ready to show him the script to his next movie. He had been walking down the hallway when he noticed voices coming from behind the slightly open door to his boss's office. Normally he would have left, since he really didn't want to hear what all went on in that office behind closed doors, but he paused when he heard his name. Now, to set the record straight, he only stopped because he wanted to know the context his name was spoken in. If they (because it was undoubtedly Kirkland and Francis in there) were up to their weird little games then he was going to come back…maybe next week. After he went out and bought himself some brain bleach. Luckily for him (or so he thought at the time), it was just Kirkland yelling about him. Lovino rolled his eyes. Nothing he hadn't heard before. Lovino approached the door, not caring that he was interrupting. Like he said before, it wasn't something that had never happened before. He stopped just outside the door when Kirkland's words actually registered to him.

"…I hate him, Francis! What he did…I can't even…irresponsible…I want him _gone_, Francis!"

"_Cher_," Francis said gently, sounding like he was trying to calm his husband down. By the sound of the tired strain in his voice, it sounded like they had this conversation quite often. Lovino stiffened, listening in closer. "You know he didn't mean it. I've forgiven him, and you should too."

"Forgive-! Forgive nothing, there's no way to forgive him! That little bastard deserves to pay for this!"

Lovino would have left then, if it weren't for the fact that he apparently made some sort of noise. Francis' head snapped up, his eyes meeting Lovino's. Lovino looked around wildly, trying to make some sort of escape. Francis walked over swiftly, closing the door behind him as he entered the hallway. Kirkland's voice called out questioningly through the heavy wood, muffled but still audible. Francis regarded Lovino warily. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"How…er…how much did you hear?"

"Enough," Lovino replied woodenly. He stared determinedly at the wall towards the side. He couldn't even bear to look the other man in the eye. He was so mortified; he knew that he had a temper and he tended to verbally take it out on Francis, but he didn't expect Kirkland to act like this. He was almost just as bad as Lovino was. Francis sighed heavily.

"You know that Arthur has a temper," he said, trying to sound placating. "He really doesn't know what he says half of the time, and he never means it-"

"Save it," Lovino cut in. "I know he loves you, and me yelling at you is just pissing him off. I get it. I'll lighten up."

Francis smiled. "People do strange things for the ones they love. You know about this, don't you?" Lovino flushed, looking at Francis for the first time. His thoughts went immediately to Antonio. Francis was weird like that; he could tell whenever someone had a crush or was interested in someone else just by looking at them. It was unnerving, especially whenever you hadn't actually admitted even to yourself that you liked that person. Francis gave him a knowing look, but thankfully didn't say anything more on that subject. "Is there a reason why you came to Arthur's office? Should I be worried?" he asked, a teasing gleam in his eyes. Lovino glared at him, shoving his new manuscript into the Frenchman's arms.

"The script for the sequel," he said, turning around. He was halfway down the hall when Francis called out to him again.

"Lovino, please understand," he begged, "Arthur really doesn't mean any harm. What he said back there…he's just under a lot of stress."

Lovino paused before continuing on his way.

That brought him back to the present, where he was waiting on the bench. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but it gave him plenty of time to think. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now. He still wanted to write for movies, but he didn't know if staying with this particular company was best for him. If he and his boss really did have their differences like he thought they did, then it was probably healthier, too.

Lovino was just really confused about his life right now.

A few minutes later, he looked up when a shadow came over him. He didn't recognize the person, but that didn't really mean much. There were a lot of people who lived in the city, and it wasn't like he knew everyone. This person was wearing a suit and looked stiff to wear and had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Lovino Vargas?"

Considering his crappy mood, it's understandable that Lovino responded the way he did. "Who wants to know?" His confidence turned an immediate 180 degrees when the man in the suit pulled out a gun.

"I'll ask again. Are you Lovino Vargas?" He didn't really feel like he should answer that, but he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't. The guy already somehow knew his name. He probably even knew who he really was. He didn't want to find out what the guy would do to him if he caught him lying. Hesitantly, Lovino nodded. The man in the suit gave a brusque nod in return and said something into a wire that Lovino only just noticed was attached to his wrist. He turned back to Lovino just as a car came pulling up in front of them. "I'm going to need you to come with us now."

* * *

><p>Antonio didn't take Lovino's kidnapping very well. He used every bit of his super spy knowledge to track him down and rescue him, resulting in several explosions, quite a few near misses from people shooting at them, and one epic car chase that took them through the whole city. Soon enough, they were able to evade their pursuers.<p>

Lovino was Not Happy, for various different reasons. He had several questions for Antonio and demanded answers, starting with who he really was. Considering what all he had put the other through, Antonio agreed that it was time to come clean. So, he told him that he was a spy. Lovino laughed at first, but after being forced to confront what had just happened to them, he had no choice but to accept it.

He also had to accept that he was starting to fall in love with the spy. Luckily for him, the spy loved him back. Lovino said that he had a great idea for a title for the newest movie, but Antonio didn't really want to hear about it. Instead, he wanted a kiss. Lovino agreed that they needed to have their priorities straight.

It took a while, but Lovino managed to pull some strings with people he knew who owed him money and was able to charter a boat that could take Antonio off of the island country. Antonio was elated…but he said that he would only leave if Lovino came with him. Lovino thought about it, and decided that a break would be good for him. He sent in a letter to his secretary, Francis, saying that he was going to be taking some time off with a new boyfriend. If he ever had a new idea for an action movie, he just sent it in through the mail. MPS was _very_ protective of their mail because of trade secrets, so Lovino never had to fear that his letters would be intercepted.

As for his life with Antonio, they spent it traveling around the world to wherever Antonio was sent next on his mission. They felt as long as they had each other, they were okay. They spent many years this way, and never once wavered in their feelings for each other. As for the movies that Lovino wrote, they only got better and better—it helped that he now had real life experience to draw on.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Seven; Up Next!—I Know I'll Find You Somehow (Not to be confused with a certain previous chapter…this time, it's a lot darker)<em>


	38. Life 37 Missing

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 37; Antonio, Lovina, and the Missing Sister  
><em>_Summary__:__ When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Antonio x Missing Sister!Fem!Lovino; Lovina has some problems that she's working through. Not very well, mind you, but she's trying. Antonio's there to help her through them.  
><em>_Rating__: T for swearing at the beginning.  
><em>_Disclaimer__:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><em>_Warning__: Angst, my __**very**__ bad writing skills, some themes but not too bad, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovina, Gilbert, Francis, Grandpa Romulus, a few OC's, and mentions of Felicia (and a few other OC's)  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovina  
><em>_Word Count__: 6,210.  
><em>_Notes__: This life is another story idea that I had based off of the song Without You by Breaking Benjamin (I don't own). It was originally supposed to be a lot more angsty, but…yeah… it kind of got away from me. I hope you like it at any rate!_

_On a seperate note, I can already feel the Spanish-speaking population's annoyance with me~ You'll see ^_^_

* * *

><p>Lovina fled from the community center, horrified at the tears coming down her face. She knew coming tonight was a bad idea, but Antonio—stupid, horrible, caring, sweet, <em>frustrating<em> Antonio—convinced her. Since coming to the town five years ago with her grandfather, Lovina had kept mostly to herself. She didn't want to get involved with the other people. Lovina had had enough of 'other people' to last her a lifetime. Antonio, on the other hand, didn't seem to share her sentiments. He purposely went out of his way to include her in activities with him and his friends, regardless of whether she was interested or not. Grandpa Romulus thought it was a good idea; he didn't like his granddaughter—the only one he had left—to be alone all the time. It took a while but Lovina, despite herself, was gradually starting to open up to others. Tonight, a dance was being held at the community center for the teenagers at her school. Nobody wanted to actually dance in the gymnasium, and the community center was always open for everyone.

Lovina had even been starting to enjoy herself…until that _fucking song_ started playing. That was when all of the repressed memories came flowing back…along with the guilt. Somehow she had been able to keep things together long enough to push out of the crowd and head over towards the wall where a few chairs were stacked out of the way. She had set herself heavily in one and curled in on herself, hoping that she wasn't noticed. It didn't work. Somehow, Antonio seemed to have some special sense of whenever Lovina was upset. She really didn't know how he did it; it seemed so creepy. She might have even called him out on it if she hadn't felt like shit.

…Lovina really didn't know why he even bothered with her. She was nothing but nasty to him, but he still treated her nicely. She wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth anything. Antonio had tried to get her to tell him what was wrong, like if anyone had been mean to her. He had such a cute look of concern on his face too. Lovina knew she had to push him away. The people who were close to her ended up with bad things happening to them. She shoved him away and headed towards the doors that led out. Nobody noticed her departure, which was just as well. When she reached the lobby she stopped, forcing herself to calm her breathing down. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her grandfather's number, leaving him a short message telling him to come pick her up. Just as she was putting her phone away, Antonio came bursting out of the main room with his two friends following behind him, asking him what was wrong in worried tones. When they saw Lovina their eyes widened. Lovina scowled and headed towards the doors that would take her outside. She brusquely brushed aside a few tears as they escaped from her eyes. Fucking song. Parts of it escaped out of the main room when those three boys opened the door. This was the reason Lovina hated music; there were just too many songs with teenage angst that reminded her of what happened to her sister, and even more songs that reminded her too much of Felicia in general.

'_I wanted to forget  
>I'm trying to forgive<br>Don't leave me here again…'_

Without meaning to more tears came. Lovina hated this. She knew that coming here would be a bad idea. She looked around the parking lot, waiting for her grandfather to get there already. Where the hell was he already?

"Lovina!" She groaned. She really had no patience right now to deal with Antonio. She ignored him and determinedly started walking towards the road. She couldn't wait for Grandpa Romulus to get her. She had to leave now, before she did something else to embarrass herself. She should have known that Antonio wouldn't let her leave that easily, though. "Lovina Moretti, don't think I'm going to let you leave right now when you're obviously upset! What's wrong? Did something happen?" Lovina froze, staring stiffly straight ahead.

"What if something did? Do you think there's anything you can do about it?" Spinning around she glared at Antonio. "You don't know anything about me. I told you I didn't want to come here, and I meant it! God, why is it so hard for you to just _listen_ to people?!" Lovina was practically shouting by now. She knew she was hysterical and she was being unfair, but she couldn't help it. This was just how she usually got whenever thoughts about Felicia came out of nowhere.

"Hey, you don't have to be a bitch about it," Gilbert snapped when he and Francis came closer. "He was just wondering what was wrong."

"It's true," Francis mused. "We've never seen you cry before, and now you look like the end of the world is coming. Five minutes ago, I saw you and you seemed like you were enjoying yourself. Something had to happen to have caused…this," he said.

Lovina was not having this conversation. She had been avoiding this conversation for a little over five years now, and one little temporary emotional breakdown was _not_ going to change anything. She hadn't even completely confided in her grandfather, either. Of course, he already knew everything but that didn't mean that she had actually told him about how she felt after…Felicia. She glared at the three boys. She probably wouldn't have even said anything, but she didn't have a chance to. Headlights came into view followed shortly by her grandfather's old, beat-up car roaring down the drive. He swerved and came to a stop right beside Lovina. Getting out, he looked over the situation through worried eyes. Lovina scowled, not looking at anyone. She stomped over to the passenger seat and looked away. She could still hear the voices of the others outside, though, even if they were muffled by the glass in the windows.

"What's going on? Is there something wrong with Lovi?" She winced. She hated that Antonio used that stupid nickname for her. She wasn't worth anything special as that. "Mr. Moretti, did something happen?"

"It's nothing," her grandfather brushed off the comment. "She's just tired. She'll be fine when you see her again Monday." At least there was the weekend to look forward to. Before she knew it, Grandpa Romulus entered the car again and took off, leaving behind three very confused teenage boys. They drove for a few minutes in silence, something Lovina was grateful for. She didn't really feel like talking right now. She knew, however, that he would say something eventually. Grandpa Romulus kept shooting her worried looks, just like how Felicia used to when she knew that her sister was upset. The reminder of her sister was painful and made Lovina's chest hurt.

After a few moments Romulus broke the silence. "Was it about Felicia?" Lovina winced. It had been a long time since the last time she heard her sister's name spoken out loud. Somehow, it still hurt. Her silence was taken as an affirmative to her grandfather's question. He sighed, tired. He had a strained expression on his face when Lovina turned to look at him. Something must have happened.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice hoarse and scratchy from crying. Grandpa Romulus stared straight ahead. He was quiet for another minute or so.

"The police called. They're coming over later tonight. Apparently it's about Felicia."

She felt like she was going to be sick.

* * *

><p>Almost ten years ago, when Lovina was seven and her sister Felicia was five, their father and grandfather were the heads of an organized crime family. Lovina, of course, was too young to know what that meant. All she and her sister knew was that their family loved them and they got whatever they asked for. Sometimes they had to go through the strangest security procedures, but they weren't too bad. Everything seemed perfect for them…until the day that a rival family decided that they had had enough with the Vargas family. That was her name, once upon a time. Lovina Vargas. Now, it was Lovina Moretti.<p>

One day, Lovina and her sister had been visiting their grandfather over at his house, enjoying being able to spend the weekend with Grandpa Romulus. He always spoiled the girls rotten, and he was a lot of fun to be around, too. What they didn't know was that a rival family was waiting for the moment that all of the members of the Vargas family would be gathered in one place. After a fun-filled day at the park, the two girls had retired early to bed. They were woken up about an hour and a half later by the sound of gun shots. Their grandfather's house had been breached. While Romulus' guards hurried him out of the house, Lovina's father hurried straight to his daughters' room. Lovina and Felicia were huddled together, scared, in the corner of the room behind the large wardrobe that was next to one of the beds. Their father tried to get them to hurry and run with him, but they were stuck where they were with fear. Lovina and Felicia refused to move. They cried out when they heard more shots, this time much, much closer than before. When Lovina looked back on the moment, she remembered her father's eyes widened in shock and pain as he slowly fell to the floor with blood pouring out his back. He had been shot, dead.

Lovina remembered whimpering and crouching as low to the floor as she could, staying in the shadows where she couldn't be seen. Felicia wasn't so lucky; she was spotted almost immediately since she was frozen with shock and was grabbed, taken away. The police came soon after, but the other family had already departed. Lovina had been left where she was before, huddled next to the wardrobe with her father's corpse on the floor and her sister's screams for help—_for her Lovina's help_—ringing through her ears.

She was taken to her grandfather immediately, where the whole story was told. Romulus was furious and devastated to know that his son was dead while one of his granddaughter's had been taken. Because of the circumstances, he agreed to testify against the other family in exchange for him and Lovina being put under protective custody. His only stipulation was that he would tell the authorities whatever they wanted to know…once Felicia was back home. Until then, he wouldn't even dare to jeopardize her safety. The other family made it well known to Romulus that Felicia was in their custody, and that they were willing to trade her for Romulus himself. He wanted to make that trade, but the police officers assigned to his case convinced him not to—what would happen to not only Felicia, but Lovina as well if the only other person in her life right now willingly gave himself up like that? There was no guarantee that the other family would hold up to their end of the bargain, so Lovina could very well lose all of her family just like that.

With nothing more to be done, the authorities gave Romulus and Lovina a new name, new backgrounds, and a new place to live. The first few attempts had been disastrous, especially because Lovina wasn't coping. She blamed herself for her sister getting taken as well as for her father's death. She felt that it was all her fault; that she should have been the one to be taken, since she was the oldest. She blamed herself for hiding away while her sister was being taken and for not even trying to help her. There was nothing that any of the adults could say that would change her mind. In her mind, Lovina was just as guilty as the people who did this to her family. She was sent to therapy many times, but it never did any good. Eventually, Romulus convinced the authorities that it would be best for everyone if she was sent, with him of course, to somewhere where nobody knew about her—that meant that no cops could follow them, and that there wasn't to be a special 'handler' stationed in the community where they were sent. Romulus knew that if he erased all traces and mentions of his other granddaughter, who might not be alive (though no one mentioned this out loud), then his first granddaughter, Lovina, would start to feel better. And he was right. She slowly got to feeling better and was even starting to make friends and connections with other kids her age. For a while, things were actually starting to look up.

Tonight was just a bad night. A song came on that reminded her too much about her situation with Felicia and the cops were coming over to talk about her sister. Nothing good could come from this.

* * *

><p>When they got back to the house, an unmarked car was waiting for them in the driveway. Lovina groaned. She at least wanted to get herself cleaned up before the cops came. True, she was planning on trying to hide out in her room the whole time, but this was just annoying. She didn't want to have to explain to strangers why she looked like complete shit. That's already how she felt; she didn't need some <em>stranger's<em> sympathy. Her grandfather looked over at her.

"I could distract them while you go in around back," he suggested. It was a very tempting offer, but Lovina couldn't accept. She already cried in public earlier. She couldn't take it if more people showed her pity, even if it was just her grandfather trying to be nice. She was Lovina fucking Vargas (currently Moretti), and she could handle a pair of cops. She gathered her thoughts, sat up straight with her shoulders back and waited for the car to stop. She opened the door and walked purposefully towards her own front door; Lovina fucking Vargas did _not_ cower before her own front door. She waited for her grandfather to join her on the front step before she opened the door. She could face whatever the cops threw at her.

Half an hour later found Lovina, face washed and clothes changed, sitting on the couch in the living room with her grandfather beside her. In front of them were the two officers who had been assigned to their case, Agents Christopher and Johnson. Lovina kept a blank look on her face. She had been in this situation before, and nothing new came of it. The agents would say that they had a new lead, but they need Romulus to give up some former contact of his for any kind of action to take place. It was the same song and dance. Romulus has been out of that kind of business ever since his son died. He made it quite clear that he was out, and that meant that he didn't associate with that world again. Any 'contacts' that he had knew this, as did everyone else. Even if he wanted to get back in, nobody would talk to him now. Grandpa Romulus would tell the agents this, they would get upset and declare that they would do 'what they could', and then leave. Nothing would get done, Lovina knew, but every time they came it dredged up old feelings and memories. She knew that she shouldn't hope, but she couldn't help it. Every time they came over, she half expected for them to say that they found her sister—one way or the other. It never amounted to anything. Lovina would just get depressed all over again and then would miss school for a day or two. After her little 'scene' back at the community center that night, however, she was determined not to give in to her wayward emotions. She had already broken down once that night, she wouldn't do it a second time. No matter what, she was determined to attend school the following Monday to prove that they hadn't gotten to her.

The agents glanced at each other as if trying to determine which one would be the one to tell Lovina and her grandfather the news. Eventually Agent Johnson cleared her throat and looked at them steadily.

"By now, I'm sure you know the drill. We say that we have news about Felicia Vargas" Lovina flinched at her sister's name "and then we try to get you to tell us something about your old contacts, Mister Moretti." The agent paused, glancing at her partner once again. "Well, the thing is…this time we actually _do_ have news about Felicia. We're not even asking for anything in return."

Romulus sat up straight, giving the agents his full, undivided attention. "Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. Lovina stiffened, her mind blanking. Agent Christopher took this as his cue to continue.

"We've of course had agents looking into your granddaughter's disappearance, especially since it's connected to the Deylah Nohchay Family. Recently, we've been able to find a substantial link between the Family and your granddaughter. We even have surveillance photos." Agent Johnson brought out a manila folder and set a couple of photographs on the coffee table in front of Lovina and her grandfather. They were slightly blurry and taken at awkward angles, but each one showed a girl who was a little younger than Lovina in them, walking beside the man who must have been the head of the Family. Bodyguards walked along either side of them. Grandpa Romulus reached for one of them as Lovina breathed in sharply. The family resemblance was great. They were of Felicia, as she must have looked like now. It meant that she was still alive, and she seemed to be healthy in each of the photographs.

She must have been thirteen or fourteen by now. Felicia didn't look traumatized in any of the photos; did that mean that they treated her well? What must it have been like, growing up with the people who kidnapped you from your family? The ones who shot your father right in front of you? What had they told her? Did they lie to her? Did they tell her the truth? How did Felicia feel about them? How did she feel about Lovina? It's been almost ten years since it happened. Did she remember how Lovina did nothing while she was taken away? There were so many questions rolling about in Lovina's mind, she didn't know where to start. Her emotions were going out of control, and it was hard to pick out any discernible feeling.

Giving a quick excuse, Lovina rose and practically ran towards her bedroom.

* * *

><p>The next day, Lovina was still in her room. She felt entitled to stay in her room the whole day if she felt like it. Who was going to stop her? Grandpa Romulus was down at the police station answering questions and demanding answers. Apparently they couldn't just move in on the Deylah Nohchay Family, so they couldn't bring Felicia back just yet. The way they were acting, Lovina had the feeling that she would never see her sister again. Wincing, Lovina smothered her face into her pillow. She really needed to stop thinking about her sister. There was nothing she could do, and she felt useless, helpless. Lovina didn't like feeling that way. Felicia would just keep bringing her into a deeper and deeper depression, no matter what she thought. She couldn't think about her sister without feeling overwhelming guilt, and there wasn't anyone she could talk to about her. After years of being forced to go to therapy, Lovina could no longer trust a therapist and she couldn't talk to her grandfather. He was still at the police station, and would probably be there all day. Lovina just needed someone to talk to right now.<p>

After a moment of feeling sorry for herself, Lovina noticed a strange sound in her room. It only sounded every now and then, but it was strangely persistent. It was rather sharp, like someone rapping on her door. Lovina was the only one in the house, so that couldn't have been it. She waited a few seconds before she heard the sound again. It sounded like it was coming from her window. Curious, she walked over to it and looked out. Antonio was outside holding what looked like a handful of rocks. She looked down to see that pooled on her short balcony were other rocks. He could be so cliché sometimes. Lovina loved it.

She opened the door and looked out at him, raising an eyebrow. He grinned sheepishly and dropped the rocks still in his hand.

"Can I come up?" he asked. Lovina sighed, knowing that if she didn't let him in he would just keep bothering her outside. And anyway, she _was_ looking for someone to talk to. She was glad that she hadn't scared him away last night. Guys tended to freak out whenever their friends who were girls suddenly broke down into tears and yelled at them. She should have known that it would take more than that to scare him away. Antonio had been there for her ever since she first moved to the small town. Maybe she couldn't talk to him about her sister, but that didn't mean that he couldn't just be there for her as a friend. That was something that Lovina treasured—she never wanted that to change.

After letting him in, Lovina decided that it would probably be best to stay in the living room. If her grandfather came home to find that Lovina had a boy in her room, things could get messy. He _was_, after all, once a terrifying crime boss. After getting situated on the couch, an uneasy silence fell over the two.

Antonio cleared his throat. "So, is this where you tell me what happened last night? I was worried."

Lovina knew that this would come up eventually. She had just hoped that she would be able to have enough time to come up with a good excuse. She couldn't even really remember what all she told him last night, anyway. She didn't want to contradict herself. Antonio tended to get upset whenever she lied to him. She looked to the side, feeling that it was better to talk if she wasn't looking at him directly.

"I was just…upset. It's nothing."

"Don't tell me it's nothing, Lovina!" She looked up sharply at his harsh tone. It was strange to see him getting angry at her. She blinked, not used to this kind of situation. "You were obviously upset, and I want to know why. Did something happen at the party? Did someone say something? I've never seen you like that before. If something happened, I want to know what it was so I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

Lovina shifted in her seat uncomfortably. How to explain without really explaining… "Nothing happened." She held up her hand, stopping Antonio from denying her denial. "When I say that, I mean it. Nobody was mean to me, there wasn't some incident or anything. I just—heard a song I don't like. It brought back some bad memories for me. I haven't allowed myself to think about it since it happened, and I was caught unprepared." Lovina clamped her mouth shut, studiously looking anywhere but at Antonio. Her face was flushed and she felt rather warm all of a sudden. She didn't mean to say so much, especially to him. Somehow the words came tumbling out of her mouth of their own accord.

Antonio put his hand over one of Lovina's and squeezed. The warmth and pressure was comforting. For the first time since before the dance, Lovina felt herself start to relax. Antonio was always able to do that for her. It both scared her, and made her excited for reasons she didn't want to think about. His smile melted something inside of her and sent butterflies flying in her stomach. This was a first. Maybe if Lovina was better connected with the world, she would know what that meant. She usually avoided anything that might hint at something emotionally deeper than a child's inflatable swimming pool, since it helped her push away any negative emotion that she might have. Apparently it also helped her push away positive emotions, too. She felt that she was feeling something significant, but she just didn't know what it meant. Luckily for her, Antonio started talking again.

"I see," he said. He started rubbing his thumb over Lovina's hand. It was really distracting for some reason. "You don't have to tell me, but maybe talking about it will help? I know sometimes I feel like I'll go crazy if I can't tell Francis or Gilbert about things sometimes." For some reason, Lovina found herself saying yes. Antonio must have been a wizard or something. That had to be the only explanation for why she was telling him about all the drama of her life. He was a really good listener, she discovered. He didn't even flinch or anything when she told him about her former life and what her grandfather used to do for a living. He did frown, though, when she told him what her real last name was. When she finally finished, including the parts that had happened only just last night, she fell silent. Lovina wasn't sure what Antonio would do next. What did a person usually do when they were told something like this? She half expected him to run away screaming, but the rational part of her mind knew that wouldn't happen. Antonio spent the past few years getting close to Lovina and gradually opening her up to new people and experiences, like going to that dance from last night. If he was really the kind of person to just leave her now, then he wouldn't have been able to even become someone who Lovina considered a friend.

"So, your real name is Lovina Vargas?" he asked finally. Considering that she had just been talking about her missing sister, Lovina was a little surprised by this random question.

"Yes."

Antonio hummed to himself for a moment. A pleased smile came over his face. "I think I like that name better. Vargas is a Spanish name, you know." Lovina stared at him blankly.

"But I'm Italian. My whole family's Italian."

"I know; weird, huh?"

A silence fell over the two again, but this time it was a lot lighter. _Lovina_ felt a lot lighter. She hadn't realized just how much this secret of hers was weighing her down. Just being able to tell Antonio, she already felt like the weight of the whole world was off her shoulders. She felt…comfortable. That was a good word for it.

"So, you don't even know when you'll be able to see your sister again?"

Tears came to Lovina's eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of Antonio. She _really_ didn't want to cry in front of him. He just spent the past hour or so listening to her spill her guts, she didn't want to cry. Wasn't the point of telling him about Felicia supposed to be so that she wouldn't feel so bad anymore? If so, it didn't work. Felicia was still there in her mind, like a wound that still ached even after supposedly healing years ago. "No," she finally said. Her voice sounded watery even to her own ears. "They said that since she's with a high-profile crime family, they can't just go in and get her back. Of course they want to rescue her. It's just…."

"Just that she's the granddaughter of a former crime boss," finished Antonio, "so she's not really their priority. They would rather take down the family first, and save your sister afterwards." Lovina nodded her head, not trusting herself to say anything. "Well…why don't we go get her ourselves?"

"What?" Lovina looked over at him, confused. He smiled at her.

"It's simple, isn't it? Since the cops aren't going to help bring your sister back, why don't we go and get her ourselves? I can have Francis and Gilbert help me find out where these photos were taken, if it's okay with you that they get involved too, and then we can find your sister and bring her home."

Lovina stared at him. No way could something like that be as simple as he made it out to be. There were a million things that could go wrong. "How—how could something like that even work?" she wondered out loud. "Especially if you're finding them based off of a few photographs."

Antonio smiled again. The boy was definitely doing something to her stomach. "Francis and Gilbert are good at things like that. Francis analyzes the background images, and Gilbert makes sense of it. Um…just, don't ask why they're so good at things like that."

Lovina grew silent. She leaned back against the couch, staring straight ahead. She voiced the thought that had been floating around in her head for a while now. "Why would you go this far for me?"

"I thought it was obvious," Antonio told her with a half smile. "I would always go this far for you. I guess I should work on showing you, if you haven't noticed by now."

Lovina couldn't help but smile at that.

* * *

><p>It took some convincing, but Antonio finally managed to get Lovina to agree to let Francis and Gilbert in on the rescue plot. When they found out about what Lovina had been through and what they were going to do, Francis and Gilbert complained that they should have been included from the very beginning. However, they did understand Lovina's feelings, so they were happy that they could help now.<p>

After a week of careful planning and research, the four set off for a city about five hours away. Gilbert had been able to use the information given to him from Francis to figure out that Felicia had at least been there within the last month. That was the closest that Lovina had come to being near her sister ever since she was taken, so she felt full of hope. As it turned out, the Deylah Nohchay Family was stationed in the city, and had been raising Felicia as their daughter for the whole time that she was with them. It took several meetings, but Felicia was finally convinced to come with them, if only to see both sides of the issue. It was a very awkward car ride back, especially when the Family that she had been with found out that she was being taken away and started a car chase. What the Family didn't count on, however, was that nobody should ever put Gilbert Beilschmidt behind the wheel of a car. They lost their tail after a few harrowing minutes of insane driving. Both of the Vargas sisters were queasy afterwards, and slept the whole way back. It was, as Antonio would later recount, the cutest thing ever. Francis commented that his friend only said that because he was in between the two sisters, who both were using him as a pillow. Gilbert grumbled about how that never happened to him.

When they returned home, the authorities were there ready to arrest all five of them for endangering their case. Lovina, by that time still feeling a little queasy, grumpy from the ten hour car ride (both there and back), and emotionally charged because of her complicated feelings about her sister being back, chewed into the cops who were 'supposed to be helping them.' She brought up how the authorities were supposed to be the ones to make sure that Felicia came back safely, but they put her aside to prioritize capturing the Family. She spent several minutes yelling accusation after accusation at the authorities, who couldn't really deny anything that she said. Finally, the charges were dropped when Lovina threatened to sue them for negligence in the case of bringing Felicia back to safety. Grandpa Romulus, after he was finished cuddling his youngest granddaughter, backed Lovina up completely, but also grounded her for getting into such a dangerous situation in the first place without telling him about it.

After things settled down (aka, lawsuits were filed against the Deylah Nohchay Family, Felicia was officially moved back in with her real family, the Family was put in prison, etc…) the authorities wanted to put the newly reunited Vargas family back into Witness Protection and move them away. While they may have been able to prosecute most of the Family and put them behind bars, there was still the treat of retaliation from those they couldn't arrest. By that time, after exposure to Felicia and what a 'normal' teenage girl's emotions would be, Lovina was starting to realize how she felt about Antonio. She knew that if they moved again, she would never be able to see or contact him again. She really, really didn't want that. After hours of argument and convincing, Lovina convinced Grandpa Vargas that they didn't need to keep running anymore. This was their home now, and they were going to stay there.

Afterwards, Lovina casually asked Antonio out on a date. To her surprise and pleasure, he said yes. Lovina was still racked with worries about what would happen between the two of them since she used Antonio as her source of stability. Luckily for her, nothing really changed at all. They started officially dating soon after their first date, and continued seeing each other as the years went by.

Lovina never married Antonio because of her insecurities, but that was okay. They still had two beautiful children together, and that was all the family Lovina really needed. She and her sister were never that close to each other after the years spent apart, but they didn't hate each other or hold feelings of ill will after Felicia's kidnapping. Felicia herself went on to write a book about her experience and became a national bestselling author. As for Francis and Gilbert, they went on to become genius hackers who specialized in locating people who didn't want to be found. Likewise, they were also excellent at _hiding_ people who didn't want to be found. They never married, but they didn't seem to notice that anything was missing.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Eight; Next up!—I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice cream~!<em>


	39. Life 38 Ice Cream Heaven

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 38; Ice Cream Heaven  
><em>_Summary__:__ When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Fem!Antonio x Fem!Lovino; Sometimes, it's nice to just kick back and enjoy a delicious cold treat with your loved ones.  
><em>_Rating__: C for cavity, or T because there's two girls being lovey-dovey with each other. I could actually probably rate this as K+, but since its two girls…who knows.  
><em>_Disclaimer__:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><em>_Warning__: My bad writing skills, probably an overload of cuteness, shortness of chapter length, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Anita and Lovina.  
><em>_Pairings__: Anita/Lovina.  
><em>_Word Count__: 1,165.  
><em>_Notes__: Just a short, hopefully cute, little drabble-chapter thing. I got the idea once when a friend of me and my sister came to stay over spring break with us, and she and my sister started getting out the ice cream. I thought it would be cute to add for them; hopefully this makes up for last chapter (which in my opinion turned out rather bad)._

* * *

><p>Anita watched as Lovina opened her large chest freezer, usually used for storing vegetables and other food ingredients, and pulled out two tubs of ice cream. The Italian girl had protested earlier that week, saying that gelato would be a better alternative but because of time constraints, they couldn't get their hands on the Italian frozen treat. That was okay with Anita. As long as she could spend quality time with her girlfriend, she didn't really care either way.<p>

This ice cream party idea came out of nowhere. She and Lovina had been sitting around talking when somehow the discussion about what their favorite ice cream flavors were came up. Lovina was of the opinion that cookie dough ice cream (not, as she told Anita very seriously, _chocolate chip_ cookie dough) is the all time ice cream flavor champion. Anita couldn't really see it. If someone wanted to eat cookie dough, why did they have to put it in an ice cream first? When she told this to Lovina, the other girl had looked so shocked, so disgusted, and so very, very cute that Anita couldn't help but squeal and hug her tightly. After managing to get the Spanish girl off of her, Lovina demanded to know what Anita's favorite flavor was.

Anita shrugged. "I guess I don't really have one. I don't eat ice cream a lot, so it's not that unusual." That was the wrong thing to say. Most people didn't know this, but Lovina was rather stubborn about certain things. When she heard that her girlfriend didn't have a favorite flavor of ice cream, Lovina immediately decided to rectify this mistake. Anita didn't even know that she was _making_ a mistake, but apparently she was. Lovina wrote down a list of flavors that Anita might like and tore the list in half. Taking the first half, she ordered Anita to go out and buy the flavors that were on her list while Lovina bought the ones on hers. They (meaning Lovina) decided to meet up the following Friday to have their taste-testing party. Anita was just happy that she now had an excuse to spend more time with her cute Lovi.

That brought her to today, where Lovi, with a strangely proud look on her face, pulled out carton after carton of ice cream. Anita really didn't think they could eat that much.

"Um, Lovi?" she asked tentatively. "What are we going to do with all of this? I don't think just you and me can eat all of it. Won't it take up space in your freezer?" Lovina turned towards her, rolling her eyes.

"Duh, Anita," she complained. "We're only going to have a little of each so we can find out what your favorite flavor is. The rest we can just give to friends or something." That did sound more reasonable. They could probably even invite everyone over just for an ice cream party or something. Anita brightened up at that thought. It had been a while since she last saw everyone…

"So, which is first?"

* * *

><p>After an hour of tasting every single flavor, Anita was sure that she would be tired of eating the delicious dessert. To her surprise, she was enjoying herself as she and Lovina moved on from simply tasting one of each and on to trying to find the best combinations of ice cream. She knew that she would probably hate herself later when she had to work off all of the calories that she was gaining, but for now she was enjoying herself. They put away the flavors that they both didn't really like that much and kept out the top five that they did. The newer ice creams, the ones that they had just bought and were only now opening, were really soft and easy to scoop from. The older ones, the ones that had been sitting around in the freezer for a while, were really, really hard. They had to let those thaw before they could even begin to scratch the surface.<p>

Despite all of this, Anita had never had as much fun as she did now. She and Lovina joked around with each other, playfully shoving each other back and forth as they dared one another to try different combinations. During one of their play fights, Anita had accidentally ended up getting a glob of vanilla ice cream on Lovina's nose and cheek. While Lovina looked down at the ice cream through crossed eyes, Anita approached with a playful smirk. She licked the delicious dessert off, enjoying the brilliant flush that she brought to Lovina's face.

"Hmm, I think I just found my favorite flavor Lovi," she flirted playfully. Lovina gaped at her with an open mouth. Anita took advantage of this and stuck her own spoon full of strawberry ice cream into her girlfriend's mouth. She gave her a smile. "How does it taste? It's not as red as you, but I think it will still be good." Oh, yes, she was definitely enjoying herself. As she took another bite out of the chocolate banana flavor that was, sadly, starting to melt she couldn't help but think that she was gaining a new appreciation for the dessert. Anita made plans to have it more often.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Thirty-Nine; Next Up!—The Friend-Zone Sucks. Big time. <em>


	40. Life 39 What Could Have Been

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 39; What Could Have Been…  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journey's that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Depressed Friend!Antonio x Taken!Lovino; Lovino's going out with another man, and Antonio doesn't think that he's right for his little Italian. Could he be right, or is he just jealous?  
><em>_Rating__: T for themes and language.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.  
><em>_Warning__: Slight language, character death, themes (killing, that sort of thing), my bad writing skills, me getting off topic, a subtle descent into insanity, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, a few OCs, mentions of Francis, Gilbert, Arthur, Alfred, Matthew, Emma, and Katyusha.  
><em>_Pairings__: One-sided Antonio/Lovino, Lovino/OC, one-sided Emma/Antonio.  
><em>_Word Count__: 4,977.  
><em>_Notes__: So, this chapter was actually supposed to be Taken!Antonio and Depressed Friend!Lovino, but that seemed too much like another chapter of mine. So, I decided to switch it up. Somehow, the original idea got away from me…_

_On another note, school just started for me today, and I (officially) start work tomorrow. Also, I'm now a senior. This is my way of telling you that updates may be moved to every two weeks instead of tentatively once a week. I'll still try to get once a week, but I don't know how much time I'll have to work on this. Thank you for understanding._

_Also, if there is any character/pairing that you want to see, whether it's been mentioned before now or not, please let me know. I'm running out of ideas, and I would love to include many different things. Like, Romania/Hungary. I really, really don't know why, but I love that pairing now XD I'm open to absolutely any suggestion!_

* * *

><p>The fluorescent lighting shone down brightly from above, illuminating the linoleum floor, scuffed by the many people who've walked across in the past. Dozens of people walked by, adding to the dull roar of the crowd around them. From the store fronts on either side of the hallway bright lights flashed, drawing customers in. Somehow, despite all of the distractions around him Antonio still only had eyes for Lovino. The mall they were in was crowded. Apparently, they were celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. Everyone wanted to be there, since they were having some of the best sales of the season, this weekend only. It was hard maneuvering through the crowds, but they somehow managed. The two came to a rest at one of the benches that the mall set up in the middle of the crowded hallway, presumably so that you could look at both sides at once while you rested. Antonio was having so much fun. He loved hanging out with Lovino. They were best friends, and it seemed that lately they hadn't been able to spend much time together. Lovino's boyfriend took up all of his time, most days.<p>

Antonio wasn't sure when his feelings came about. He knew that he had always liked Lovino somewhat, but when did those feelings change to love? Because no matter what anyone said, Antonio was in love with Lovino. When he realized that he had feelings for his best friend, Antonio panicked. He had never been in love before. He wasn't even sure that he knew what it really _meant_ to be in love. Did he really want to spend the rest of his life tied to one other person? It was a thought that terrified him. He tried to deny what he felt, but after a while he had no choice but to accept the truth. Strangely, he was okay with it. For some reason, he felt that it didn't matter that Lovino was his friend. As long as it was the cute, feisty Italian then it was okay. Ever since, Antonio hasn't been able to look at anyone else the same way…not that he ever looked at anyone that way _before_ Lovino. It may have been his imagination, but Antonio thought that his best friend may have been looking at him the same way. At least, he wanted him to look at him the same way.

But then one day, Lovino came up to him and told him about a new guy who moved into his neighborhood recently. Antonio pasted on a smile as Lovino gushed about the new guy, in his own way at least. A few weeks later and the two officially started dating. Lovino had been so happy when he told Antonio the news, he didn't have the heart to mess things up for them by confessing himself. His only hope, as horrible as it sounded, would be if it just didn't work out between the two lovers. He felt awful. He felt like he was betraying Lovino's trust. At night, he kept himself awake as he thought about the different ways that Lovino and his boyfriend would break up. He thought about what sort of steps that he would take to make his friend feel better and subtly worm his way into his heart. That was exactly how he felt, actually. Like a worm. He loved Lovino; even if it meant that he would be alone, he wasn't going to do anything to upset him. So, with a heavy heart he knew that he would have to give Lovino up. If it was really meant to be, then they would get together. This sliver of hope was pretty much the only thing keeping Antonio from giving up.

"Argh, can you believe how fucking crowded it is in here?" Lovino complained, fanning himself with his hand. "I can hardly breathe in here. Damn bastards, too cheap to spring for air conditioning…" In actual fact, the air conditioning was on pretty high. It only felt warm because there were so many people there that day, not that Antonio noticed. He felt warm just because he was sitting next to Lovino, imagining that they were on a date, instead of just hanging out.

Antonio smiled, taking a drink from his soda. "It's kind of hard to move, too. I'm afraid that I'll end up losing you in the crowd or something." Lovino snorted.

"I can just see the headlines now: 'Fashionably dressed shopper lost in crowd, never to be seen again'. With my luck, that would probably happen, too."

"Don't worry," Antonio assured him. "I won't let anything like that happen to you." Lovino smiled wryly.

"I know. You're a good friend." Antonio pretended like those words didn't kill him a little on the inside. Smiling once again, he stood up and threw his empty soda cup away in a nearby trashcan. He looked down in the opening of the trash can for a moment, unwillingly comparing the expanse to his feelings, and where they were going. He took his emotions under control and turned back around with his smile still in place. Lovino was nonthewiser.

"Come on; let's go see if there's anything interesting playing over at the movie theater."

* * *

><p>It was a Wednesday, Antonio remembered. He and Lovino were hanging out at the park, lying on the grass, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company. At that point, Antonio couldn't even remember the last time that he had seen Lovino. They were starting to pull apart. No matter what, Antonio was determined to never let that happen. It had taken a lot of negotiating, and not necessarily with Lovino himself, but they finally managed to get a day to themselves. Antonio didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. He had already come to terms that his feelings would probably never be returned, but he never wanted his friendship with his long time best friend to end. If Lovino was gone, he didn't know what he would do. He really, truly, honestly didn't. His life so far has pretty much revolved around the Italian in one way or another. There was the time in third grade when Lovino convinced Antonio to go out for the soccer team. Ever since then, Antonio has been the starter for his school's team, even all the way in university. There was also the time when Lovino convinced him to eat tomatoes. Antonio had been sure that they were poison, especially since they belonged to the hemlock family. Imagine his surprise when he started eating the delicious fruit religiously. There were just so many memories and moments in his life that wouldn't have been there without Lovino around. He couldn't just let the other fall out of his life.<p>

"…what are you thinking about, bastard?" Antonio quirked a smile. He loved his nickname, if only because Lovino gave it to him. He never called anyone else that. Antonio felt so special.

"I was thinking about how we should hang out more often," he replied easily. "It's been so long since we last saw each other…I miss you, Lovi." Lovino turned his head away, a light blush playing across his face. Antonio wished that he could be the one to make _all_ of the blushes appear there. He knew his place, though.

"Idiot," the Italian said softly. "I'm still here. There's no reason to miss me if I'm still here…bastard."

Antonio frowned. He sat up and looked at his long time friend as well as crush. "There is if your boyfriend won't let you out to see your friends. I know he doesn't like you to go out, Lovino. There's something not right about that." Antonio was starting to get a little worried, actually. He had heard things about people being possessive in a relationship, and what it could lead to. Antonio never wanted anything like that to happen to his friend.

To his surprise, Lovino rolled his eyes. He gave an amused snort, turning his head slightly so that he looked up at Antonio with a grin. "Please. I've got that bastard wrapped around my little finger." Antonio froze. What did he just call his boyfriend? Lovino said bastard. Antonio had always been that. He had always had that nickname. Yeah, it wasn't necessarily nice but he was always the only one to be called that. What did it mean that Lovino was using it with other people—with his boyfriend? Was Antonio really no longer special in Lovino's heart? Lovino continued on, not noticing Antonio's distress. "If I say that I want to spend more time with my friends, then there's nothing he can do about it." He smirked, a gleam coming to his eye. "Trust me on this. He won't give me any problems."

Antonio shifted uncomfortably but gave in nonetheless. "If you say so, Lovi…" Even with the assurances, Antonio couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Of course, he was automatically against anyone else that had Lovino's affections, so he didn't know if his unease was simply jealousy—or something else. He knew that Lovino wouldn't appreciate it if Antonio interceded and had a 'conversation' with Lovino's boyfriend. It took all of his willpower not to go over to that guy and punch his lights out, demanding that he start treating Lovino better, the way he was meant to be treated. All he could do was trust that Lovino knew what he was talking about.

Antonio remembered meeting Lovino's boyfriend. He remembered how possessive the other man had been. Antonio could understand that. After all, he was possessive of Lovino, too. He had a feeling that anyone who became involved with the Italian would become possessive. He also remembered the look that the boyfriend had given Antonio when Lovino wasn't looking. It was a look that said 'stay away from Lovino; he's off limits'. Despite what Antonio wanted to believe, he knew that that guy loved Lovino in his own way. Pushing his bad feeling aside, Antonio decided that all he could do is watch and wait. If things started to look bad, then he would step in like how a good friend was supposed to. Surely things wouldn't get that bad.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, sirens filled Antonio's ears. Flashing lights took up most of Antonio's vision. Men and women in uniform walked around and tried to ask him questions, but the only thing that he could focus on were the bloodstains on the floor and chalk outline; the only remains left of the person who had once been Lovino Vargas.<p>

Antonio didn't know what happened. He had been on the phone with Lovino earlier that day, just hours ago. He had been alive, then. Very much alive; angry, but alive. And now, in the span of a few hours, he wasn't. How could something as important, as massive as the difference between life and death happen so quickly? It didn't seem like it would be possible…like it _should_ be possible. Lovino should still be alive.

But he wasn't.

Earlier, when Antonio was on the phone with his old friend, Lovino had been ranting and raving about how his boyfriend told Lovino that he couldn't go out and see his old friends again. Lovino had told him off, but his boyfriend got angry, stole his car keys, and ran off. Lovino, of course, ranted and fumed to Antonio, who was only too willing to listen. They were in the middle of making plans for Antonio to come over and pick Lovino up when his boyfriend came back home. Antonio didn't really remember much after that. There was a lot of screaming and other loud noises, and then the phone cut off. He raced to his truck and sped all the way to the house. Antonio of course picked up a police tale when they saw that he was speeding, but by the time they reached the house it was clear that a bigger crime had taken place.

All that blood…

Antonio gagged, and hand flying up to cover his mouth. He ran out of the house and only just made it to the bushes when he lost his lunch. After a few minutes, there was nothing left in his stomach except for a bundle of negative feelings. Nobody should have to go through that. Nobody should have to see their best friend, the (unrequited) love of their life lying dead on the floor. Antonio shuddered again. The image was burned in his mind. Lovino was dead, and the man who killed him was missing.

That wasn't right. Lovino shouldn't be dead, and his killer shouldn't be allowed to go free. From what he could hear from the police, they were no closer to catching him than they were of bringing Lovino back to life. Antonio, like a zombie, walked back into the house. He stared at the chalk outline, a subtle rage starting to build in his chest. Rage at the police for not doing their jobs and not tracking down that _fucking_ killer, rage at the one who made it possible for Lovino to no longer belong to this world, and rage over Lovino's death. This was the first time that he had ever felt this angry in his life. It didn't matter what others had said or done to him in the past, he always wore his usual smile. In fact, he wasn't sure but this might be the first time that he was actually angry. This new feeling scared him as it seemed to fill his every being. And, in a strange twist of fate, Antonio felt a calm settle over him. The rage cleared his mind. It gave him a purpose, now that his former reason for living was gone.

Because ever since he saw Lovino's corpse on the floor, Antonio had felt lost. Hopeless. Purposeless. Without Lovino, what was he to do? All this time, he had been living for him, in one way or another. He had been waiting for the day when he could finally tell Lovino how he really felt. Now that chance was taken away from him forever. What was he going to do with his life? At least, that was what he had thought originally. Now, though, he had a purpose. Antonio knew exactly what he was going to do now. He could see it so clearly, like a beacon that was showing him the way.

He was going to track down Lovino's killer, and kill him, too.

With this thought in mind, Antonio turned away, heading towards his truck. Nobody tried to stop him. While the police were busy cordoning off the crime scene, Antonio was going to track down the… Antonio held back tears. He couldn't even call him a bastard; that was Lovino's word. The rage in his sternum flared up again. When he found that guy, he was going to make him pay for taking away the one good thing in Antonio's life.

* * *

><p>Antonio was sure that it would have taken months to find that guy. He was being completely realistic. He knew that it couldn't have been this easy. He should have known better. Right now, he was running solely on pure rage. He found the guy only a few weeks after he started searching. Antonio didn't rest, he didn't take any breaks except to eat and sleep, and even those he only did when necessary. He knew that he had to be in top shape if he wanted to take in the guy. He still planned to kill him, but afterwards, he didn't know. Despite everything he was feeling right now, he knew that Lovino wouldn't want him to get in trouble just for that guy. There was still more he could do, though, and until then he wouldn't stop.<p>

Antonio pulled over outside of a dingy little motel that was just off of the highway. He felt insulted. If his quarry wanted to try to evade him, he should have tried one of the better hotels in the city. Hiding out at a place like this was so cliché, it was predictable. Then again, the better hotels would have been out of his price range right now, since Antonio made sure that he was cut off from his money—from Lovino's money. Just the thought that he was _this close_ to achieving his goal was making Antonio feel giddy. Then again, it could have been the three cups of coffee that he had already had that morning combined with only four hours sleep. It was worth it, though. The prey was in sight. Antonio wasn't going to let him go now.

After making subtle inquiries at the front desk, as well as a fifty dollar bribe, Antonio now knew which room the guy was staying in. It was on the second floor. Antonio shook his head in disgust. He should have used one of the ground floor rooms; that way, he'd have a better chance of escape if something happened. Antonio wasn't complaining, though. If _that guy_ wanted to make this easy, then who was he to argue?

Antonio approached the door in question slowly, making sure that his footsteps couldn't be heard. He put an ear against the door and listened closely, pleased when he heard that his quarry was inside. Antonio checked his pockets, making sure that the gun and bullets that he bought recently were still where he left them. Ever since he bought the gun, Antonio had practiced as much as he could in his spare time. His aim still wasn't as perfect as he would have liked, but in close quarters like this it wasn't likely to matter much.

Taking a deep breath, both to steady himself for what he was about to do and to calm his nerves so he didn't get too excited and mess up, Antonio kicked open the door. _That man_ leaped off of his bed, his eyes wide open in shock and, Antonio was pleased to see, fear. This man feared him. He knew what the Spaniard was there for, and he was scared. As it should be, Antonio thought. Lovino was no doubt scared himself when this guy killed him. Finally, Antonio would get his revenge.

The cornered prey (Antonio couldn't even think of him as human anymore) glanced around quickly, looking desperately for a way to escape. His eyes flitted to the window, but Antonio knew it wouldn't do any good. The windows at this kind of place were sealed shut to prevent burglaries, even if they were on the second floor. Right when the prey tried to make a run for elsewhere—maybe the window, maybe the bathroom, Antonio didn't care—Antonio lunged at him, knocking the prey to the floor. He pulled out a hunting knife that he 'picked up' from somewhere and stabbed it through one of the prey's hands, latching him to the floor.

The prey screamed out loud, but Antonio was quick. He picked up one of the prey's clothes that was littering the floor and stuffed in his mouth. Antonio stared down with cold, emotionless eyes. He waited for the prey to stop making sounds before he took the gag out.

"You know why I'm doing this, right?" The prey whimpered, not meeting Antonio's eyes. Antonio slapped him in the face, forcing him to look at him. "I said, you know why I'm doing this, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Because I want you to know why. I'm not a bad person; at least, not like _you_." Antonio narrowed his eyes, squeezing his hand around the prey's jaw. "_I'm_ at least giving you the courtesy of knowing why I'm killing you. Did you even give Lovino that? Did you tell _him_ why you, the love of his life," he said with a twist of his lips, the first sign of how disgusted Antonio felt towards the prey "decided on your own that he had to die? Because I would really like to know that reason."

"It's because he was leaving me!" the prey snapped, a wild gleam settling in his eyes. "I know he wanted _you_ to come and 'take him away'. I had to stop it. He was never going to end up with you, but you just kept interfering! So I decided, if I can't have him, then neither can you!"

The fury that had been simmering inside of Antonio rose quickly to a raging boil. He slammed the prey's head on the ground, knocking him unconscious. Antonio hovered over his prone body, breathing heavily as he tried to keep his anger under control. He needed to use it to work for him, not against him. The kind of anger he felt could mess up another man, but Antonio was determined not to let it get the best of him.

Right now, he had his prey on the ground, helpless. It would be so easy to kill him right now. And why didn't he deserve it? Lovino had been defenseless. He hadn't had a chance to defend himself. The only reason why he was even dead was because the prey was a jealous son of a bitch who didn't want to let his boyfriend have friends. He _killed_ Lovino because he was going to leave the house, if not the relationship as well. Antonio had more than enough reasons to kill the prey just like how he killed Lovino…

…except that would make the prey similar to Lovino. Antonio didn't want to make him have any sort of similarity to Lovino at all. He didn't deserve to have that kind of connection to Lovino. It already pained him that Lovino met his demise because he was dating this guy. Having them die the same way would be too much.

Antonio stood up. He looked down at the prey in disgust, still not quite sure what to do with him. Obviously, he couldn't let him go. But, he couldn't just kill the prey, either. What was he to do…? Antonio _could_ have just tortured him when he woke up and then killed him while he was still conscious, but that would have been the same thing as killing him while he was unconscious. After a few moments of contemplation, Antonio knew what he had to do. What Lovino would have _wanted_ him to do.

* * *

><p>Antonio turned the man in at the nearest police station and collected on the bounty that had been placed on his head. He didn't know that one had been placed, but he was still okay with getting paid for bringing the dirt bag in. After filling out some regulatory paperwork, Antonio left the station—but not without being followed.<p>

He was halfway to his truck when he was stopped by a man with long blond hair and a slight hint of stubble. The man introduced himself as Francis Bonnefoy and offered him a job as a professional bounty hunter after hearing and seeing how well he did in taking down his quarry so quickly. Apparently he was part of a team with another man known as Gilbert Beilschmidt, and they were looking for more people to join their organization. Antonio at first declined, but when Francis mentioned all of the other people out there who were getting away with hurting others, he accepted. He didn't want another Lovino to go unpunished. This started the legend that would soon be known as the Spanish Bulldog; once he had you in his teeth, he never let go. Antonio became a legend in the world of crime fighting, though many opposed his methods. He was always called in on the worst cases, and his name was used as a threat of what would happen if you tried to leave town.

One day, he was called in on a case where he had to investigate and find the missing twin of one Alfred F. Jones. His brother, Matthew Williams, was kidnapped by a British crime lord, Arthur Kirkland, who eventually became Antonio's arch-nemesis. Arthur Kirkland tried several times to bring Antonio to his knees, or at least distract him long enough for the Brit to complete his nefarious crimes. He even sent in his femme fatale, Emma, to distract Antonio but it never worked. Antonio's heart may have wavered a little, but it always beat for Lovino—and what could have been.

The case with the missing twin was the only one that Antonio was never able to solve. Matthew Williams still remained missing, with Kirkland claiming that he had 'given up' the Canadian. Alfred was, of course, distraught. He never stopped searching for his twin. Antonio had a hint once that Matthew may have met a beautiful Ukrainian girl and was living peacefully with her, though he didn't know how trustworthy his source was.

Francis and Gilbert's bounty hunting business skyrocketed with Antonio joining up. They were the only ones who actually had direct contact with him, and it was through Francis that Alfred was able to meet Antonio and tell him his story. Francis and Gilbert had their own cases to keep them busy, but they always kept in contact with Antonio. They even helped him on a few of his cases, particularly ones dealing with Arthur Kirkland.

Antonio never lost his rage over Lovino's death. He carried his dead friend around with him in his heart and never let himself forget for a moment. It was his rage that helped him on his search and retrieval cases, particularly with those who murdered others. In fact, he went after these people particularly; whenever he found a murderer, he always gave him or her the same injuries as he did to his original prey. It was his way of never letting the world forget, either.

When it came time for Lovino's murderer to be put on trial, Antonio sat in the front row the entire time. He was called upon to testify, and he never left anything out. He recommended the maximum that the guy could get without actually being executed. He wanted the murderer to live with the knowledge of what he had done, as well as with the knowledge that Antonio was still out there and wouldn't rest if he ever escaped.

Antonio died an old man at the age of eighty-six. The only reason why he lived that long was because of the reputation that he had built for himself over the years. He retired at the age of sixty-five, when he could no longer hold his gun steadily. He left to a quiet little town where tales of his exploits were treated as myth and legend. He died in his sleep, dreaming of Lovino coming to meet him in the end.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Forty; Next Up!—We're All Crazy In Here…<em>


	41. Life 40 Crazy Love, or Radioman Naps On

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes__  
><span>Chapter Title<span>__: Life 40; Crazy Love (Or, Radioman Naps On)__  
><span>Summary<span>__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><span>Chapter Summary<span>__: Doctor!Antonio x Patient!Lovino; Antonio is just starting out as a doctor in a hospital, when he runs into a troubled patient. For some reason, this patient won't leave him alone. Antonio's okay with that.__  
><span>Rating<span>__: Heavy T for swearing, and a few implications. You're reading Hetalia fanfiction, please be mature about this. (Sorry, can't keep a straight face)__  
><span>Disclaimer<span>__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><span>Warning<span>__: Long absences, my already bad writing skills getting even more bad/rusty, LOTS of swearing, confusing messages, a romance scene (I really can't believe I did it. I hope it makes up for the long wait, though it probably won't), a probably very incoherent story, etc…__  
><span>Characters<span>__: Antonio, Lovino, Feliciano, OC's, (brief) mentions of Alfred, Matthew, Arthur, Lukas, Andrei (Romania), Francis, Matthias, Ivan, Natalia, Katyusha, Ari, Peter (Sealand)/the other members of the UK, Toris, etc…__  
><span>Pairings<span>__: Antonio/Lovino, Alfred/Matthew (my secret, guilty pleasure~), one-sided Natalia/Ivan, Alfred/Matthew/Matthias (don't ask), one-sided Francis/Antonio (or anyone for that matter), etc.__  
><span>Word Count<span>__: 7,998.__  
><span>Notes<span>__: This took ridiculously long. For some reason, I just wasn't feeling this chapter. I think it's because instead of having some-what of an idea for it, all I had was the feeling that I really wanted them to be in an asylum because of various reasons. Once that part was finished, I was left feeling "Okay…now what." It was written in different intervals, so it may seem disjointed. So, I'm not very happy with this chapter. Oh, well._

_The patient diagnoses in here are mostly fictional. The only disorder that I've actually 'researched' is Tourettes syndrome, so that may be slightly accurate. The rest, no. I Did Not Do The Research. I hope this doesn't offend anyone._

_On another note, I really like anagrams. I'm sure you'll find out why I'm sharing this with you later. Also, if anyone can tell me where I got the name Dr. Flugelhoff from (preferably without having to resort to Google), I'll include a one-shot of your choosing (as long as the pairing is Spamano in some form or fashion) to their 'lives'. You have until this Saturday to tell me, and it's first come first served. To my sister, you already know so you can't answer._

* * *

><p>Doctor Antonio Fernandez Carriedo walked slowly down the hallway, reading from his chart. As of that morning, he was officially transferred over to the Heartland Extreme Treatment for All Levels of Insanity in Adults center. Well, that was the official name for it. In reality, he was in a hospital for those with mental illnesses. After practicing in a small city that wasn't really noteworthy and treating patients at a hospital that was even less so, Antonio was thrilled that he had been offered such a position. If truth be told, however, he was also a little nervous. Part of the job's position meant that Antonio could work on his research into the human mind. That meant that in between observing the patients as well as treating some of them, he had to keep up with his research. Every now and then, one of the supervisors behind his research grant would come over for a surprise visit, and if Antonio didn't show that he was making progress his funding would be cut. If that happened then Antonio could say goodbye to the fascinating world of mental illness and hello to runny noses and beleaguered parents. (Considering that wasn't even his field of expertise, you could see how important his situation was.)<p>

Whenever Antonio told people that he was interested in mental illness and that he made his living researching more into the field, they always looked at him as if _he_ were the one with a mental illness. He guessed that he could understand where they were coming from. He really didn't seem like the type of person who would want to spend their time researching, let alone into a field of medical science like mental illnesses. What most people didn't know, though, was that Antonio had a personal reason for being interested in the mind. His grandfather, and his father as well, both had mental illnesses late in life, though they were undiagnosed. Antonio wasn't superstitious or anything, so he didn't think that he would have the same problem. Of course, he acknowledged that there was the possibility that he may eventually become mentally ill, but he didn't think that it was set in stone. Antonio wanted to explore all sorts of possibilities first. If he could find enough cases, then perhaps he would even be able to diagnose what it was that his grandfather and father had, and hopefully find a treatment for it.

In the meantime, Antonio was going to devote his time and attention to other mental illnesses and hopefully help others.

First on his rounds was the schizophrenic ward. Maybe it was a bad idea to keep all of the schizophrenic people in one place, but security was top notch at this facility. The guards and doctors made sure that nothing bad happened whenever they did meet up with each other. From what Antonio could see, there weren't actually that many patients in this particular ward; probably only about twenty or so, a fraction of the number for the facility as a whole. Well, 'schizophrenic' was a loose term used with these patients. Most showed symptoms of having the psychosis, but others only had partial symptoms. A majority of the patients here, for example, saw and heard delusions of the mind. One young man, a mister Alfred F. Jones, even invented a man who looked just like him except for a few minor details named Matthew Williams. From what Antonio read of Mr. Jones' testimony, he and this 'Matthew Williams' were currently engaged in a romantic relationship with each other. It was a fascinating case, especially with the narcissism hints about 'loving someone who looked just like you'. Antonio was sure that at least one or two psychology grad students were already writing their theses about him. Who knew what it meant that Alfred, a man, was dating not only another man but someone who apparently was his twin? Incest (or _twincest?_) aside, it was an interesting case.

There was also a man who proclaimed himself to be everyone's 'big brother,' regardless of if he looked like them or not. Antonio thought this man was funny, though sometimes he felt like the blond man rubbed him the wrong way. It may have been because a few times while talking with him, a nurse or another doctor would come over and scold the blond man for 'inappropriate touching'. Antonio didn't quite know what they meant by this, so he kept to himself.

Moving on through the ward, Antonio saw that there were apparently two men who were apparently sharing a delusion in which they saw and communicated with imaginary—mythical—creatures. The two men also claimed to be able to practice magic, though of course they couldn't. A third man came forward, also claiming to be able to practice magic, though as far as the clinic doctors were aware, he couldn't see these imaginary creatures. These three, according to the reports that Antonio received, would congregate in the commons area and talk about the 'Other' world, though they were relatively harmless…as long as someone didn't get on their bad side.

Checking in with the nurses on staff, Antonio introduced himself and learned a little more about some of the patients. For instance, the two men who were admitted in because they could 'see' imaginary creatures were admitted by their brothers. The Norwegian man apparently was allowed to accept visitors, though the only ones who visited him were his brother and his three friends. One day when one of these friends, a Dane, was visiting when Mr. Jones and his 'twin' ran into him and dragged him off after them. Antonio wasn't sure what the policy was in this place about a visitor having sexual relations with one of the patients (and that patient's delusion), but he was sure that it was probably frowned upon. On the other hand, the grad students must have been having a field day. The other man, a Brit, was also on the list to accept visitors, though apparently no one ever came. After a few more words with the nurses, Antonio continued on to the next ward.

This one was apparently where they kept the more dangerous patients, whether because of their personality or because of their disorder. Highlighted on Antonio's patient list were a brother and sister who had been admitted in by their other sister. The brother had problems with mental stability and was apparently prone to lashing out at those that he deemed 'bad children'. His mental development, Antonio could also see, was stunted so that he had the mind of a child. This, coupled with his large size and strength easily made it hard for the man to be able to tell right from wrong. According to the sister who admitted him, he had never been 'mean' to either of his sisters. Attached to the report, however, were various police reports and court ordered citations saying that his family may have just been an exception.

His younger sister, the one who was also admitted into the ward, had her own set of problems. While her brother may have been psychotic, the sister took the definition of the word 'psycho' a bit more literally. She wasn't allowed around sharp objects since she had a tendency to thrash them around and threaten people with bodily harm if they didn't 'respect her brother'. She glared at others, would verbally abuse the people around her, and had even broken the fingers of one of the nurse practitioners. Perhaps even worse, there was only one person in the entire building that she actually listened to—her brother. This would have been worrying, if it weren't for the fact that her brother was scared of her. Her feelings for her brother were another reason why she was here. Back home, she would stalk her brother and force him to participate in, luckily, fake weddings with her. The two siblings were not allowed to be in the same room with each other, even if other patients and doctors were present.

While all of the cases sounded interesting in their own right, they weren't what Antonio was assigned to. Of course he would come and look in on the patients when he could, but they weren't his focus. There was a special ward set up where Antonio would be conducting most of his work and research. It was the ward for those with undiagnosed mental illnesses. These were the people who clearly had something wrong with them, but nobody could really agree on what it was. They would have symptoms of one mental disorder while having symptoms of a very different disorder at the same time. Some would have certain symptoms of a disorder, but then absolutely nothing like what the disorder said that they should be like. It was Antonio's job to examine these patients and then try and find a diagnosis; in some cases, he may even have to diagnose a completely new disorder. This was what Antonio had been looking forward to. With this many patients, he was bound to find at least one or two that had similar symptoms to what his family had. From what he could tell, the disorder was hereditary. If this was the case, then if Antonio found someone else like him he could compare medical histories. He most likely wouldn't be able to find a cure, since a 'cure' in his medical field was practically unheard of, but he could at least be able to try and figure out some kind of treatment. He didn't want others to suffer like how his father and grandfather had.

Shaking these thoughts off, Antonio entered his new ward with a bright smile on his face, ready to meet his new patients.

* * *

><p>After a few weeks of reading over patient charts, attending boring meetings with the other doctors at the hospital and the representative of the grant that was letting him do his research, and learning all of the rules at the hospital (some of which <em>really<em> should have been obvious), Antonio was tired. All he really wanted to do was get started with his patients, but he had other responsibilities to attend to before he could. Luckily, while he was getting settled into his new role Antonio managed to meet some of his patients and get to know them better.

There was Veronica who would swear to anything that she was actually a tree and that she was just waiting for someone to let her back outside where she could grow in the wild. She had some kind of skin condition that turned the pigment of her skin a slightly green-ish color and made it feel rough to the touch. This added to her delusion, thinking that her skin was her 'bark'. Mostly Veronica drew different kinds of leaves on whatever she could get her hands on, including other patients, their clothing, tables and chairs, the walls, and once, when Antonio wasn't looking, his shoes. While harmless, it was still rather annoying to have to wash the drawings off whatever she had just drawn on. It seemed to Antonio that Veronica was trying to figure out what kind of tree she was by drawing different kinds of leaves. Recently, it seemed that she had settled on being a magnolia tree; last week, she had been a weeping willow.

Another patient of Antonio's was a young man named Nicolas who was showing some signs of being autistic. As far as Antonio could tell he wasn't but he shared the introverted personality that Antonio had seen on a few other autistic people. Nicolas didn't flinch away when someone touched him, though that in itself wasn't necessarily typical of autism, either. If Antonio didn't know any better, he'd say that there was nothing wrong with Nicolas. Most days he would sit by himself in a corner of the room without making eye contact and write random sentences and phrases over and over again. Sometimes it would be just a word or two, but other times it would be quite lengthy. Another thing that made him special was that it was difficult to communicate with the young man. By all accounts, Nicolas understood everything that was said to him perfectly; he just couldn't express himself other than writing his strange phrases. For instance, when Antonio first introduced himself Nicolas looked at him for a moment before writing Coated Corridor over and over again.

Perhaps of special notice were the walk-in patients. These were the ones who had some kind of disorder, but whether because the disorder wasn't bad enough to make them stay at the hospital or because their disorder was carefully managed, they only had to check in once a week. Antonio didn't actually have much contact with them since they weren't part of his specialty. However, there was one particular encounter that Antonio had with one of the walk-ins that was special.

It was right after Antonio had had his session with Veronica, Nicolas and the rest of his patients. Frankie, a man who would be fine most times until he would randomly and spontaneously stop whatever he was doing and stare into the distance for five minutes, had been in the middle of explaining a dream of his when he had one of his 'episodes', in which they decided to have a break. Veronica was currently an apple tree and would freak out whenever the words 'George', 'Ax', or 'Apple Juice' were used. Nicolas seemed to like the phrase Meek See Mute for some reason, and he would look at Antonio sometimes when he would write it. Collecting his notes together as he walked down the hallway, he almost didn't see a man coming straight towards him. Pausing, he watched as the man stalked over to him, scowling the entire time.

"Oi, asshole!" the man snapped, twitching his head every now and then. "Where's the shitty Dr. Flugelhoff? He was supposed to fucking meet with me half-a-damn-hour ago! Chigi!" Antonio blinked at the amount of vulgarity coming out of the man's mouth. He was a little shorter than Antonio and about seven years younger from the looks of things. He had brown hair with a strange hair curl on the right side of his head, and his eyes were a strange mixture of brown and green. They were green in the center but turned a bright, light shade of brown on the outsides. They were some of the most beautiful eyes that Antonio had ever seen. He cleared his throat.

"Dr. Flugelhoff?" If Antonio remembered right, that was the doctor who usually met with the walk-ins. That's who this man must have been, then. "I haven't seen him yet today. He's probably in the lounge, though. I think I heard someone say that he was working on his reports in there."

"Did I fucking ask you what he was fucking doing, bastard asshole? I didn't! Chigi!" The man flinched when he cursed, sounding like he was grounding out his words. He let out a few more expletives before sighing in resignation. "Just take me over to him, bastard."

Antonio didn't have much else to do at that moment, so he agreed. It was an interesting walk over to the lounge. Antonio felt sorry for Dr. Flugelhoff if he had to deal with this man all the time. It was more than just the disorder; the man seemed to generally be a rather unpleasant person in his own right.

He was by far the most interesting person that Antonio had yet to meet in this boring place.

* * *

><p>Antonio learned his name later, when Dr. Flugelhoff came to thank him for escorting his patient to him. The time slipped away from him and before he knew it, he had an angry Italian yelling and cursing him out. Antonio could understand why he maybe blocked the weekly visit from his mind.<p>

The man's name was Lovino. Lovino Vargas. There was a small, childish part of Antonio that delighted in the fact that the strange young man had a Spanish last name. According to Dr. Flugelhoff, Lovino has been coming to the hospital once a week for the past four years. Mostly he came because of his anger issues over his Tourettes, which hasn't been getting better since he was first diagnosed. He seemed like an interesting guy. Antonio would have loved to get to know him better, since work was starting to eat into his social life and he didn't have many friends yet over here, but he had to get back to his office and fill out paperwork. What he didn't know was that he would get his chance to get to know Lovino better sooner than he thought.

* * *

><p>According to the contract that Antonio signed with the hospital and his grant fellowship, Antonio was accorded one day a week off from work. This was so that he could focus on any personal business then, such as shopping, doing laundry, and in general just relaxing. It was the day that Antonio was expected to get the things done that he couldn't the rest of the week. Since Antonio was Catholic, he requested that his day off be on Sundays. He was a little sad that he couldn't always make the mass on Wednesdays because he was always so tired after work, but Sundays were just as good, if not better.<p>

It was on this particular Sunday when Antonio met Lovino again. He had been at the grocer picking up fresh produce when he felt someone tug on his shirt. Surprised, he turned around and saw Lovino standing there, looking uncomfortable around so many people. Antonio could understand, especially if he really did have problems with his disorder. Still, it was rather surprising to meet him outside of work like this.

"Hey, I met you the other day, right? Is there something I can help you with?" Antonio was conscious of the way Lovino looked around uneasily, twitching slightly as he ground out expletives every now and then. A few women passing by glanced over reprovingly while a couple of teenage boys snickered. Antonio glared at them, dragging Lovino over to where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Chigi! I-it's about my crappy little brother. Fuck!" Antonio looked down at the hand basket on his arm.

"Let me buy this first and then we can talk, okay?" Lovino twitched again, moving his shoulders like he was shrugging.

"Okay. Hurry up, bastard!" Antonio smiled, promising to meet the Italian outside when he was finished. As he made his way towards the cash registers, Antonio thought back on what he Dr. Flugelhoff had told him. Lovino had Tourettes. Antonio probably could have guessed that by his cursing, but that wasn't typical of people with Tourettes. At one time, it was thought to be a defining characteristic, but not anymore. From what Antonio could remember about the disorder from medical school, only something like ten percent of Tourettes patients actually have the symptom that makes them say expletives and other phrases. If that wasn't bad enough, Tourettes was supposed to eventually wane and all but disappear in adulthood. Lovino, however, was still being affected. This was the reason why he had to come by the hospital for therapy sessions every week. Not only that, it seemed that Lovino was suffering from some of the most severe symptoms of the disorder. It was no wonder that he always seemed to be in a foul mood. Then again, Antonio didn't know Lovino well enough to say that he was always upset. Perhaps it was just whenever he was around Antonio then? He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

After paying for his produce, Antonio met up with Lovino outside. With the grumpy Italian was someone who could have only been his brother. The man looked about two years younger than Lovino, still a teenager really, and he was looking down at the ground sadly. Antonio put his best smile on his face and walked over to the two brothers.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Carriedo," he introduced himself, "but you can call me Antonio. I think your brother wanted me to talk with you?"

The young man looked up at Antonio with a blank look on his face, his eyes curious. He stared at him for a moment before smiling widely. "Ve, hi~! My name's Feliciano, what's yours?" Lovino sighed heavily, hitting his brother lightly on the shoulder.

"Stupid, he just said who he was. This is Dr. Carriedo." Feliciano blinked a few times and smiled.

"Ve, sorry, I think I was spaced out. It happens a lot some times. It's nice to meet you, doctor! Are you friends with Lovi?"

Antonio smiled in return, though he was afraid that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The young man in front of him had a verbal tic like Lovino, though his was 'Ve'. This didn't surprise Antonio. Tourettes tended to run in families, though some people never realized that they had it because their symptoms were so mild. Compared to Lovino, who seemed to have the worst of most of the symptoms, it was no wonder Feliciano's family didn't suspect that he might have it as well. That wasn't what was troubling Antonio, though. When he first came over, Feliciano may have been looking down but Antonio definitely saw his eyes flit over to look at him for a moment. He was even sure that Feliciano had been listening to him, though he also knew that Feliciano wasn't pretending for some reason not to have heard him. From what he could tell, it seemed like the young Italian had just forgotten what had happened.

Was this what Lovino had brought him over for? Judging by the worried look on his face and the way his eyes darted over to Antonio, he would say yes. Antonio chatted with Feliciano for a few more minutes. Feliciano seemed like a genuinely nice kid, if a little slow and forgetful. Excusing himself to talk to Lovino privately, he left Feliciano sitting on the low brick wall and walked a few feet away where he could still keep an eye on the younger kid.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Lovino asked immediately, glaring at Antonio as he twitched. Antonio looked at Feliciano for a moment before shrugging.

"It's hard to say after only talking to him briefly. How long has he had memory problems?"

Lovino shifted uncomfortably, and not just because of his twitching. He looked to the side. "For a few years now. It didn't used to be this bad; before, it was barely noticeable." Antonio nodded, mentally making a list of symptoms. It didn't seem like anything he was used to. If it appeared a few years before and was steadily progressing then it wasn't any kind of amnesia that Antonio knew about. If anything, it seemed like some kind of adolescent Alzheimer's, but that didn't make any sense. He would really need to consult his books about this one. Antonio suggested to Lovino that he take Feliciano to the hospital with him for his next appointment so that his brother could be checked out. Lovino didn't seem too happy about this but reluctantly agreed on the condition that he knew exactly what happens to his brother. Antonio felt like this was a good compromise.

* * *

><p>Before Antonio knew it, he became the consulting doctor for Feliciano. He had to admit, the case provided him with more research opportunities. From what he could see, Feliciano could still remember how to do basic math, read, write, and other such skills. On the other hand, he had difficulty with simple tasks like tying his shoe laces. Soon enough, Feliciano joined his usual group of patients but as a walk-in. Lovino staunchly refused to have his brother admitted when he could live just as well at home. Antonio was inclined to agree with him. If Feliciano didn't have to stay at the hospital full time then he shouldn't.<p>

From what Lovino had told him, Antonio knew that Feliciano was a junior in high school with only two more years left before he graduated. He still remembered what high school was like for him. It was tough being different and even tougher going through those halls with everyone knowing that his father and grandfather had a mental illness. He didn't want Feliciano to go through something similar to what he had had to go through if the young man had to be admitted full time.

During group one day, Antonio was pleased to see that Feliciano was fitting in with everyone wonderfully. He made conversation with Veronica about their favorite seasons, he carried on conversations with Frankie better than most people did and didn't even seem to notice when Frankie would drift off, and he worked hard to include Nikolas in group activities. He wasn't always successful but Antonio could see that Nikolas appreciated the effort. Nikolas started writing Liar Thy Not whenever he was around Feliciano. If Antonio was honest with himself, he was a little jealous. Nikolas just wrote Radioman Naps On for Antonio recently, and only on days when Feliciano was over. Of course, on those days Lovino would come over to pick his brother up so Antonio would usually end up talking with the older Italian about how his brother was doing. Antonio read recently that a new drug was being tested for people with memory problems. It was risky, as all such trials were, but Antonio wanted to sign Feliciano up for the drug trial to see if it helped any. First, though, he consulted Lovino and after several arguments, a few threats, and one very well-put together PowerPoint that Antonio stayed up all night working on, Lovino agreed.

It was strange, but that was how their acquaintanceship turned into friendship.

* * *

><p>Several months passed by. During this time, it seemed that Antonio hardly went a day without thinking about the Vargas brothers. If Feliciano wasn't in group therapy with Antonio, then Lovino was coming over to the hospital to talk to him about his brother. Strange as it sounded, Lovino's visits were some of the highlights of Antonio's week. He always looked forward to talking with the angry Italian and hearing about what was bothering him. Antonio didn't like to talk bad about his fellow doctors, but he didn't think that Dr. Flugelhoff was a good enough doctor for Lovino. It could have just been a friendly bias or something more, but as far as he could see there was nothing really wrong with Lovino except for his anger issues. Even that, though, was treatable. Antonio was a fully licensed doctor, and while he may not have all the credentials needed to be a psychologist or psychiatrist, he knew a thing or two about listening to people who needed it. It was one of the reasons why he had been given a group to oversee for therapy, not just because of his research. From what Antonio could see, Lovino just needed to have a friendly person who would listen to him. Antonio was more than willing to be that person for him. What he didn't know at the time—and indeed, was afraid to find out—is <em>why<em> that was.

It wasn't long before Antonio started spending more and more time with Lovino. Before he knew it, Antonio was seeing Lovino outside of work and without Feliciano around. They would start off talking about Feliciano's diagnosis, which wasn't changing even though he was on different drug therapies. The closest that Antonio could get to a change in the young Italian's condition is that he was starting to retain things in his short-term memory better. Antonio was at a loss to explain Feliciano's memory problems. It wasn't something as simple as regular memory loss since there was no apparent cause and for a time it seemed to be getting worse. Hopefully, with the new drug therapy that Antonio was trying out on his patient, things would be getting a little better.

This particular field of mental illness wasn't exactly Antonio's forte, so he debated about which of his colleagues to pass the case on to. He wanted at first to try Dr. Flugelhoff since he was also treating Lovino. Lovino didn't like this because he didn't like his own doctor and was very protective of his little brother. Nikolas started writing A Screeched Truffle Follows, Groovy Wiz furiously, often looking at Antonio imploringly. He didn't know what his sentence might have meant (who used 'groovy' anymore?), but he had a feeling that he should look into other doctors, if at least just for Lovino. Nikolas seemed approving, which started to worry Antonio.

* * *

><p>Before he knew it, half a year went by since Antonio started at the hospital. Despite being side-tracked by the Vargas', he had plenty of research material from his other patients to submit to his superiors. They controlled his grant money, and Antonio was given the okay to continue his research. This would have been great news if it weren't for the fact that Antonio was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on his work. He just couldn't stop thinking about the Vargas' and about how they were doing, particularly Lovino. The three were good friends by now. At least, that's what Antonio kept telling himself.<p>

It wasn't professional to fall in love with one of your patients. In fact, there were several rules in place preventing such a thing from happening. True, only Feliciano was a patient of Antonio's and he had already been transferred over to someone else's care, but it was still just as bad. There was no way that Antonio could be in love with Lovino. It didn't seem ethical, and yet there it was. Somehow, within the course of just a few months, Antonio was already head-over heels in love. His grandmother always told him that he tended to rush into things. Somehow, though, this felt genuine. There was just something about Lovino that made Antonio want to protect him. It hurt because of this to know that Lovino didn't feel the same way about him.

Then again, it was this knowledge that he didn't have a choice that saved Antonio. At this point, if it was a choice between Lovino and his job, Antonio would probably choose the Italian. That wouldn't help anybody though, especially when he still had patients who needed him. In the meantime, Antonio tried to concentrate as best as he could on his work. It didn't help that Lovino seemed to want to stick around Antonio whenever he could. Normally he would be ecstatic to be so near the one he loved, but instead all he felt was sadness. Lovino didn't like him that way. He shouldn't get his hopes up. And even if he did, Antonio would probably get fired for having a relationship with a patient.

When did his life get so complicated?

* * *

><p>"…and <em>then<em> that bastard Jones or whatever his fucking name is said that I was sitting on his fucking brother! Chigi! I told him the seat was empty, but he said something like 'you're just saying that so the two of you can get away with your affair'! Can you believe that shit?" Lovino shook his head. They were in Antonio's office waiting for Feliciano to finish with his therapist. To pass the time, Lovino was explaining to Antonio about an altercation that he had had earlier with one of the patients. Antonio listened on as he filled out the necessary paperwork. Unfortunately for him, he was the one who found the two arguing and was also the one who would have to explain to the hospital about what happened. Luckily there wasn't any violence involved, though Antonio did have to explain to a visiting Mr. Køhler about why one of his lovers wasn't speaking to another. Sometimes it just didn't feel very fair that visitors could have relationships with patients and their psychosis' but doctors couldn't. As Antonio's patient friend Francis liked to say though, se la vie. "Are you even listening to me, bastard?"

"Sí, sí, I am," Antonio said distractedly. He added a few more lines to his report before he felt satisfied with it. "Are you sure no one threw any punches?" He looked up in time to see Lovino roll his eyes at him.

"Unless that imaginary brother-boyfriend of Jones' did anything, then yes I'm sure. Chigi…" Antonio smiled.

"That's good then. I'd hate for you to get hurt or in trouble." Lovino blushed and looked away, muttering under his breath. He started blushing around Antonio a lot lately, but Antonio didn't think anything of it. Lovino was the type to get easily embarrassed, so it made sense that his face would get red a lot, especially whenever Antonio started complementing him. It sounded bad, but Antonio secretly liked watching Lovino turn red whenever Antonio complemented him. He would go out of his way to slide in some kind of nice word or sentence to the Italian just to see his face light up. There was just something about the fact that Lovino would turn red because of Antonio that brought him a perverse kind of pleasure. Did that make him a bad person? Maybe, but Antonio was okay with that. As long as he could continue to see Lovino's red face, anything was okay with him.

On another note, it seemed like things were finally looking up for Lovino. His twitching had all but faded away and he didn't feel the need to curse as much as he usually did. That didn't mean that he had stopped cursing, since he apparently felt like he wasn't himself unless he did, but he still seemed to be getting better. Antonio was glad. It was about time Lovino's Tourettes finally faded away enough to let him live a normal life. However, that also meant that he didn't have to come by the hospital as much as he usually did. Luckily for Antonio (and yes, he felt all kinds of guilt for this), Lovino still came around a lot because of his brother. He didn't know what was wrong with himself. Antonio was turning into the worst kind of human being possible. Was it really okay for him to keep wishing that these bad things would continue on so he could see Lovino? If there was anything that Antonio had learned lately, it was how to push these feelings to the back of his mind so he could concentrate on the real world. There was no sense in living in his head where everything went okay, where anything Antonio wanted he could get, and where Lovino was madly in love with him, too. That world would just distract Antonio from what was really happening and would make him loose his attachment to the real world. He'd seen it enough with other patients before to know the signs. There was no way that Antonio was going to be admitted to the hospital he worked at because he refused to associate with the real world.

When Antonio finished his report, he checked the time and saw that he and Lovino still had half an hour before Feliciano would be done with his session at the earliest. Until then, there wasn't much they could do but wait. He stared out of his office window for a few moments, unaware that Lovino was staring at him and shifting uncomfortably.

"H-hey, bastard."

Antonio looked up at the sudden noise. He frowned when he saw the apprehensive expression on Lovino's face. Seeing that he had Antonio's attention, Lovino continued on.

"I-I just wanted to say, you didn't have to help my shitty little brother and me, but you did." Lovino shifted in his seat and looked anywhere but at Antonio. Needless to say his actions were confusing to the Spanish doctor. "Damn," Lovino muttered. He took a deep breath and blurted out the rest of what he wanted to say. "I guess I just wanted to say, thanks and all that crap. Chigi!" Lovino's face was really red now, Antonio noted with delight. He gave Lovino a warm smile when the other, younger man chanced a look in direction.

"It was my pleasure," Antonio assured him. He tried to put his feelings into his words, but he didn't want to scare Lovino away with how intense they were. It sucked being in the friend-zone. "I'd do it for anybody." That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Lovino wilted in his seat, dejected.

"Right. For anybody." He repeated in a hollow voice. Antonio grew concerned. Lovino drew in a shaky breath and looked Antonio in the eye. "Well, it might not have fucking meant anything to you, but it did to me, damn it! S-sorry to have wasted your time." Lovino lurched out of his seat and tried to run to the door. Antonio, irritated, grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"When did I ever say that you were wasting my time?" he snapped at Lovino, standing above him. Lovino's whole face was red and there were a few tears escaping from his clenched eyes. Antonio would have tried to wipe the tears away if it weren't for how irritated this whole scene was making him. There was _no way_ on God's green earth that Lovino Vargas would _ever_ waste his time. Why would he think that he was? Antonio definitely never gave that impression. If anything, he was surprised that Lovino and others hadn't figured out about his feelings yet. It's not like he was being subtle about them.

"I know I'm a fucking burden, damn it," Lovino muttered sadly, looking to the side. He wouldn't face Antonio, no matter how much the taller man tried to catch his eye. "Chigi…I'm irritating, I swear a lot, I-I'm not nice, a-and…"

"And nothing," Antonio protested. "You want to know why I stayed in this hospital for so long? I could find patients for my research anywhere, in any hospital. Do you want to know why I stuck with this one for so long?"

"Because the patients are interesting?"

"Well, partly," Antonio conceded. He let go of Lovino's arm and stared at him, a smile growing on his face. "There was one in particular that I wanted to get to know better, even though he wasn't technically my patient. I helped him out with his brother, though. This guy is crass, rude, he's sometimes violent though never on purpose, and he cares about his little brother way more than he lets on. He's the person who gave me something to look forward to everyday instead of the same old thing over and over. He's also the most adorable man I've ever met, and I'm pretty sure he'd hit me for saying that but it's the truth. Does he sound like someone you know?"

Lovino froze where he stood, shyly glancing over at Antonio. There was a shining glimmer of hope in his eyes that made Antonio realize that maybe his feelings weren't so one-sided after all. Antonio's smile turned into a smirk as he slowly leaned closer and closer to Lovino. He didn't seem to notice, amusingly enough.

"…It better not be me, chigi," Lovino said finally, voice lowered into a softer volume for once. "If it was, I'd have to kick your ass for that 'adorable' comment. I'm not fucking adorable. Bastard. Creep."

Antonio laughed lightly, face only a few centimeters from Lovino's. "Well, it is you. You are very, very adorable. What was that you were saying about kicking my ass?"

"Well, I-mmph!" As adorable as Lovino was, there was nothing like shutting him up with a passionate kiss that made Antonio realize that he didn't have to hold back anymore. What did he care about hospital policy, if it meant that he couldn't be with Lovino? After weeks of repressing himself and thinking that it would never work out Antonio was through with that. The last strand of resistance in his mind willingly broke loose. With it went all of his reservations as well.

He pulled Lovino close to him, deepening the kiss. Lovino was very quick to respond, he was pleased to note. Lovino ran his fingers through Antonio's hair, tangling it and making it messier than usual. Antonio grasped Lovino by the waist and picked him up. Lovino wrapped his legs around Antonio and almost didn't notice when Antonio set him down on his desk. They broke the kiss just long enough to get air.

"I've-I've wanted to do this for a while now," Antonio admitted, leaving a trail of wet, hot kisses going up Lovino's neck. He shuddered in delight at the accompanying moans from Lovino. Lovino swallowed a few times and tilted his head so Antonio could get a better angle. He made sure to thank Lovino with a few nips at the base of his neck.

"You—hah—you a-always do this with your patients?" Lovino gasped out. His hands moved from Antonio's hair to his shirt, and from there shortly to his abs. Antonio couldn't say that he minded. He moved close to Lovino's ear, murmuring sweet nothings. Lovino wasn't to be deterred. He lightly shoved Antonio back so he could look him in the eye. "Well, bastard? Are you going to answer me or not?" Antonio was amazed that Lovino could talk with barely a catch in his breath after all of that. He must not have been trying hard enough.

Antonio put his arms on either side of Lovino, leaning against the desk so that he was almost on top of the feisty Italian. "If you're asking if I have anyone else in my life that you should be worried about, the answer's no. It's just you." Antonio looked up for a moment, thoughtful. "It's always been you. Ever since we first started spending more time together—maybe even before then. It's always been you." Antonio kissed Lovino on the cheek, grinning naughtily. "And it will always be you. That is, if you want me." It was almost comedic how fast Lovino grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for another, proper kiss.

Well, Antonio had his answer. He didn't know where this relationship was going to go, or if it was even going to last. He didn't know what he would tell his superiors when they found out about his relationship, and he didn't know what he would do if they decided to fire him because of it. He didn't even care that it would mean putting the search for a diagnosis about what his father and grandfather had on hold. All he did know, and all he cared about right now, was that Lovino was in his arms and he wanted Antonio as much as Antonio wanted him. The rest could wait for now. There would still be time.

Unbeknownst to the two new lovers in the office, Feliciano waited outside the door with a smile. "Ve~ It's about time those two got together. I was starting to think it would never happen." He grinned and pushed a note under the door. The two inside would find it when they were finished…with whatever they were doing. Feliciano skipped down the hall, saying a quick goodbye to Nikolas before he left for home.

Nikolas watched Feliciano leave for a moment. He turned to face us and held up his notebook with a caption that said Effaced Trophy Torn.

* * *

><p><em>Next Up!—I'm Your Biggest Fan, I'll Follow You Until You Love Me…<em>


	42. Life 41 The Rockstars

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 41; The Rock stars  
><em>_Summary__:__When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Rockstar!Fem!Antonio x Fanboy!Lovino; Lovino has a new obsession and that's the famous rock star Anita Carriedo. How will he react when he finally gets the chance to meet her?  
><em>_Rating__: T, just because.  
><em>_Disclaimer__:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><em>_Warning__: Long absences, a minimal amount of proof-reading (though it should be okay), a slightly creepy Lovino, maybe some mild language, and random crack pairing, and…you know what, I don't think there's anything else. You know, other than my bad writing skills. But that goes without saying.  
><em>_Characters__: Lovino, Anita, Feliciano, Ludwig, Julia (Julchen), Marianne, a few OC's, brief mentions of Matthew and Sarah (Fem!Australia). Yeah, I went there.  
><em>_Pairings__: Lovino/Anita, Ludwig/Feliciano, mentions of Marianne/Matthew and Julchen/Sarah.  
><em>_Word Count__: 8,445.  
><em>_Notes__: So, somehow Lovino ended up creepier than what I had first imagined. He was just supposed to be a fanboy, but then this happened. Yeah. Also, since nobody really seems to have a pairing they want to see I've created a book in Microsoft Excel (don't own) that lists all of the countries in Hetalia that I can think of as well as their genderbends. I then use a formula that will give me a random pairing, and that is how you have Fem!Prussia and Fem!Australia. You're welcome, and you should know what will come next if no one else has any suggestions._

_On another note, I have the next chapter about halfway written already. It should be out soon-ish, but definitely don't expect it anytime this week. Maybe next week. Maybe. _

_One last thing. Recently, 100 Lives has reached 100 reviews. I thought that was kind of funny. So, I would like to take this moment to thank Spamano4ever for helping us get that far. If you have an idea that you want to see as a life, just let me know, okay?_

* * *

><p>"—<em>We are Bad Friends, thank you and good night!"<em> The crowd instantly went wild, drowning out any other sound. The woman who spoke, a pretty young woman with long, white hair grinned and waved to the crowd eliciting a louder response. On her left a blonde woman smiled indulgently at her friend. She spared a small wave for the crowd of men who were calling out her name over and over again. The third woman on stage laughed elegantly, not noticing her fans in the crowd below. Everything about this woman was elegant, from the way she held herself to the clothes she wore. She was so beautiful and captivating. Lovino couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Anita…"

Her name was Anita Carriedo, one third of the mega-famous band The Bad Friends Trio. The band was readily gaining more and more popularity around the world for their unique sound and look. The band members were all different ethnicities, with Anita being Spanish, Julia 'Julchen' Beilschmidt being German, and Marianne Bonnefoy being French. This might have helped with their popularity in different countries around the world, but mainly it was because of their style. The band, like their name implied, were friends who played music together. Their interactions with one another on stage and off were always something that their fans looked forward to. There was something about them that made others want to join them and be a part of the fun that they were having. Lovino didn't necessarily feel this way himself, but he did want to get to know Anita better.

He had a fanboy crush on her. He knew how pathetic that sounded, but he couldn't help himself. Anita was his ideal perfect woman, and he couldn't rest until he had at least talked to her. From what he had seen of her, she was the kindest one in the band so she wouldn't think he was creepy, would she? He knew how creepy he sounded, and he didn't want to be like any of the other fanboys who 'knew' Anita because they read all of her interviews and any special article that was about her.

Okay, so Lovino did all of those things too. He, however, knew the difference between reading up on someone and actually getting to know them. Mostly Lovino wanted to know if the real Anita was anything like what her publicist made her out to be. Lovino knew that there were a lot of celebrities who acted nice in front of the camera but were complete and total assholes in private. Anita and her friends, however, never seemed to be anything but what they were. Lovino respected that. It was a rare person who wasn't changed by the limelight. It was for this reason that Lovino was interested in her. Those other two harpies, I mean women, in her band weren't nearly as appealing. Anita was the only one who seemed genuine, kind.

What he would give to meet her…

"Ve, fratello? Are you watching the Bad Friend's concert on television again?" Lovino looked away from the television to his brother who just came into the room. Feliciano looked at him quizzically. Immediately Lovino went on the defensive. He knew how his behavior must have looked like to other people, and there was no way that he was going to let his brother think that he was some kind of stalker fanboy.

"N-no!" Lovino hastily shut the television off, aware that his brother had most likely already seen the recorded concert on the screen. Lovino's policy was that if he pretended that if something didn't happen, then it didn't. So, Feliciano obviously didn't see Lovino watching the Bad Friends concert for the twelfth time that month. "I was watching something else. Obviously."

Feliciano stared at his brother for a moment. He picked up the television remote with a smile and turned the TV back on, just in time for the credits for the concert to play across the screen. Lovino frowned, looking away. He crossed his arms sulkily, a pout on his face.

"That doesn't prove anything."

"You know fratello; you don't have to be embarrassed. We all have people we like, right?" Feliciano sat next to Lovino on the couch, happy smile on his face. He giggled a little, thinking about something. "Just like me and Ludwig!" Lovino gagged a little. He did _not_ want to think about his brother with that German machine. At least, that's what he called the blond boy. He always seemed so serious; it was just like he was a machine. It was a wonder that he and Feliciano were even dating.

"Oh, don't be like that," Feliciano scolded back, stern look on his face. It was always so funny to see his brother try to be stern; Lovino couldn't take him seriously. He did, however, listen to what he said next. "Ve, you always give Ludwig a hard time, but you never hear me doing the same to you and your obsession with Anita Hernandez Carriedo."

"I-I am not obsessed!" Lovino jumped up from his seat, incredulous. Feliciano just stared at him as he had a minor freak out. "J-just because I happen to like her music, and her voice, and think she's pretty and nice, and…and…I'm not obsessed! Take that back." In a perfect world, Feliciano would be cowering under the force of Lovino's glare. This apparently was not a perfect world. Feliciano stared at him evenly, just as stubborn as Lovino was. This was another reason why Lovino didn't like the influence that Ludwig had over his brother. Feliciano wasn't his shy, scared, wimpy little brother who needed Lovino to protect him anymore.

"Look. Lovino. It's not anything to be embarrassed about. You like Anita, don't you?"

Lovino looked away, his face burning in embarrassment. How could he admit that he liked someone he'd never met before? Even if Feliciano said it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about, what did he know? He was dating that macho potato bastard who seemed to think that steroids were part of a nutritious breakfast. Of course it was embarrassing! The only kinds of people who were head over heels in love with someone they had never met were freaks and creeps, and Lovino didn't want to be one of them. It was bad enough that he liked Anita, but what really got at him was that it was for purely selfish, shallow reasons.

He saw her. That was all it had taken. Lovino, months and months ago, had been flipping through TV channels when he happened to catch an old concert of the Bad Friends. He'd heard of the band before then, of course. It was impossible to turn on the radio without hearing one of their songs playing, or to ride on a bus or train without hearing someone talk about them. That was the first time that Lovino had ever seen her face, though. Like two opposite ends of magnets, Lovino was drawn to her. He was hooked on her music, he watched all of her concerts religiously, he looked her up on the Internet, he read all of her interviews, everything that a crazed fan would do. It was like he couldn't help it. Just one look into her eyes, even on the television screen, and Lovino knew he was in love.

If he was out in the real world and had just seen her on the street, it would have been less creepy. Romantic, even. Hell, there probably would have been a movie made about his encounter and put on Lifetime. But he was just a fan, and Anita was a popular singer. There was just all kinds of levels of wrong about this situation. If Lovino had read about himself somewhere, he would have thought that he was a stalker.

So, no, Feliciano, it was not okay. There was nothing okay with the situation that Lovino was in. It was bad enough that he himself knew what he was like, but it was something else entirely that Feliciano knew he was a creep. As the older brother, Lovino was supposed to set an example for his younger brother. What kind of example was he setting for him with his obsession with Anita? Nothing good could come out of it. It was just as well that Feliciano had Ludwig, if Lovino was honest. Ludwig would make sure that Feliciano didn't turn into a creep like Lovino who fell in love with girls he never knew.

Lovino jumped when he felt something touch his arm lightly. Feliciano looked at him in worry, his hand bunching up the material of his brother's shirt. Feliciano seemed to contemplate something before smiling brightly. If his eyes had been open all the way, Lovino was sure that they would have been sparkling.

"Ve, fratello, did you know that the Bad Friends are going to be having a concert in the next city in a few weeks? Ludwig said he could get us tickets, if you want to come with us."

"R-really? He—he could get tickets?" Lovino stared at his brother. Feliciano's smile widened slightly.

"Of course! Ludwig can do anything, you know. Do you want to come?" That was like asking if Feliciano wanted pasta, or if their Grandfather Romulus wanted a date with a pretty girl, or if humans needed air to breathe. Of course Lovino wanted to go! Lovino almost replied as enthusiastically as he felt when he realized that he didn't want to be that kind of guy. Not in front of his brother. He adopted a calm look that probably wasn't as calm as he thought and tried to smooth down his shirt.

"W-well, if he can get the tickets then of course I'll go with the two of you. It would be a shame to let them go to waste…a-and anyway, someone has to keep an eye on you both." Feliciano rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"I'll tell Ludwig then!" He stood up and was almost out the door when he turned around with a sly look on his face. "Oh, and the only way you'll get those tickets is if you're nice to Ludwig until after the concert. I don't want to hear or see you bad-mouth him, especially since he's doing something so nice. If I find out you did something, then you can't go."

Lovino's big brother instinct that hated everything about Ludwig with a passion battled against Lovino's desire to see Anita in concert live. Lovino knew the correct answer. He should have just turned down the tickets to protect his brother's innocence, especially since he was trying not to be so creepy with his Anita obsession. Unfortunately, knowing and doing are two very different things. Lovino could feel his heart clench at the thought of not being able to see his crush. If it meant being able to see Anita in concert for an hour, and hour and a half, then he was more than capable of putting up with Ludwig for a couple of weeks. And if it made his brother happy as well, then what was the harm? Lovino knew that he was must making excuses now, but he couldn't help it. He felt a deep need to see Anita in concert no matter what.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to let go of his obsession afterwards. The thought hurt him in ways he couldn't begin to imagine, but he knew that if he ever wanted to not be a creep in life then this was the way to go. With his decision made up, Lovino agreed to his brother's demands. Feliciano squealed, racing out of the door to go call his boyfriend up with the 'great' news. Lovino, on the other hand, returned to his room to start planning for his first concert appearance. He didn't want to look bad or anything, especially since Anita would be there.

* * *

><p>The night of the concert finally came after two very, <em>very<em> long weeks. As far as Lovino knew, only Feliciano was happy during those weeks. Lovino had to actively bite his tongue whenever he saw Ludwig so that he wouldn't end up saying something that they would both regret. Once, when Feliciano was feeling particularly brave, he told Lovino to smile for Ludwig. What came out was a grimace, what they both agreed was the best that he could do. For Ludwig's part, he didn't seem to know about the deal that Feliciano and Lovino had made. Several times when it would look like Lovino would say something nasty as usual—only to bite his tongue yet again—Ludwig would look over at him warily, no doubt wondering why Lovino wasn't being his usual charming self.

Well, the answer to that question is because he has a manipulative younger brother who knows his weakness for certain popular singers.

The moral is that by the time they left for the concert, Lovino was beyond tired, had a tongue that he could barely feel and was very resentful of his brother and Ludwig, who he was so sure was behind his misery somehow. Ludwig kept twitching every now and then, sending quick glances at Lovino as if the Italian was going to attack him when he least expected. Feliciano, the little oddball in more ways than one, kept up a running commentary that no one was really listening to.

"—so then Ludwig's sister heard about how he had friends—that's you and me fratello!—who wanted to see the concert, so she made sure to get us VIP passes along with backstage access! Ve, Ludwig, she spoils you so much~."

"That's because, as she likes to point out repeatedly, she practically raised me. I keep telling her that this is unnecessary, but she never listens." Ludwig sighed slightly from where he was driving. Lovino had never seen someone drive so mechanically and safely before. He would have thought that the German man was just trying to butter up to him or something but Feliciano complained every now and then about how Ludwig's driving was always so 'boring.' Maybe he wasn't that bad after all. Not that Lovino would ever tell him that.

"You just don't understand older siblings is all," Lovino said to his window, bored. He could feel Feliciano's eyes on him carefully, waiting to see if Lovino would stick to their agreement or not. If Lovino pretended that he was talking to the window, he could almost forget that Ludwig was even there. "It's our job to make sure that the younger siblings are looked after, particularly if they raised them themselves." He was met with stunned silence. Lovino would have smirked, but talking had made his tongue hurt, leaving him grimacing again.

"Ve, then, why do you always tease me, tell me I'm stupid and get on my case about the people I hang out with when you know that they're responsible?"

Lovino shrugged. "I never said I was _great_ at being a big brother. Plus, sometimes you just want to mess with your younger sibling, especially after looking after them for so long. Pota-_Ludwig_, your sister got us backstage passes and VIP tickets, right?" Inwardly Lovino swooned at the thought that he would be so close to Anita. "Let me guess, you've never really asked for anything before, right?"

"_J-ja_, how did you-?" Obviously over thinking that Lovino was going to attack him, he was now left feeling very, very confused. Lovino really did smirk now. This could be fun, in its own way.

"Hm. Backstage passes and VIP tickets for not only you but two other people. Not really a hard jump of logic there. Especially with how expensive that must have been."

"Er…not really," Ludwig began, uncomfortable again. "She—"

"Shh, Ludwig!" Feliciano interrupted, clearly thinking that he was whispering. "It's a surprise!"

"What surprise?" Lovino asked, still looking out the window. "She probably works at the stadium or something."

"Or something…" Ludwig murmured. Lovino didn't have time to think about what this might mean, or what his brother didn't want him to know since the stadium/concert hall came into view. Feliciano shouted in his ear as well as Ludwig's, telling them both that he could see it. Lovino had to admit; it was pretty admirable of Ludwig to not even swerve a little in traffic with his brother yelling like that. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Parking was hell, but they somehow managed to find a clear space once Ludwig told the traffic coordinator who he was. His sister must have been the manager of the place or something. Lovino wasn't even that suspicious when, at the ticket booth, the ticket lady took one look at Ludwig and handed over an envelope with their tickets and passes, along with a verbal list of instructions. Lovino and Feliciano let Ludwig be the one to find out what they were supposed to do. The brothers took their passes out of the envelope and tried them on, flashing them 'accidentally' to the rest of the crowd. Lovino ate up their jealous expressions and even Feliciano looked a little proud.

"Alright," Ludwig said once he drew the brothers away from the brunt of the crowd over to where they could actually hear each other without screeching. "I found out what we need to do. For one, Feliciano, you are not allowed to go anywhere without telling either me or your brother, even if you think you're only going a few feet away. Is that understood?" Feliciano pouted, but Lovino agreed. His brother was liable to get lost or stolen in a crowd of this size. It's happened before.

Once he saw that Feliciano was going to listen to him and had agreed to stay with Lovino or Ludwig the entire time, Ludwig nodded and continued. "Second, we—"

_SCREEEECH!_

Everyone in the vicinity covered their ears, wincing. Feliciano whimpered slightly and Ludwig just looked annoyed. Lovino, however, was ecstatic. As a dedicated fan who was in no way slightly creepy (despite what he told himself), he knew that that sound was the Bad Friends warming up their instruments. Before concerts, you could sometimes hear them playing out random noise like that to 'loosen up the strings' as Julia said once in an interview. Honestly, the noise was loud, annoying, and obnoxious. It was also further proof that Lovino was really _here_ at their concert and that he would be seeing Anita soon. He could withstand having his ears bleed until then.

"Honestly," Ludwig murmured, shaking his head. Philistine. "Second," he said continuing on as if nothing happened, "we should head over to the concession stand to get our snacks before the crowds get too bad. After that we'll head over to our seats until the show starts. Then third, we will enjoy ourselves in a manner suitable for a rock concert. Lovino, I'm going to need your help to make sure that Feliciano does not accidentally get caught up in a crowd surfing incident. Again."

Honestly, it was a miracle that between the two of them they even let Feliciano leave the house, let alone go to a crowded, chaotic place like a concert.

"Fourth, when the concert is over we will be directed back stage by security where we will get a tour of the stadium. Finally, when the tour is over, we will be escorted to the lounge where we will get our chance to meet with the band. When that's over—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lovino interrupted. His eyes widened farther than he thought they could go and his heart rate sped up instantly. "We're—we're actually going to _meet_ them?!"

"Ve, what did you think 'VIP' tickets meant, Lovi?" Feliciano giggled, holding onto Ludwig's arm so he wouldn't run the risk of wandering away. Ludwig himself had a slight blush on his face from the contact but otherwise didn't show that proximity to the Italian was affecting him in any way.

Lovino swore to himself, letting out a low whistle. "Hey Ludwig? After this, I'm still not going to like you very much. But that's mostly on the principle of the thing."

"Er…okay…." Ludwig obviously didn't know how to take this off-hand insult, maybe praise thing. Feliciano glared at his brother in warning, non-verbally telling him to watch his next words.

"The point is, thank your sister for me. Just…thank her. Yeah." So, Lovino was in shock. After all, wouldn't you be if you just found out that in a few hours you were going to meet your dream girl? Oh, god, he was going to meet Anita. He, the creepy almost-stalker guy, was going to meet the idol rock star Anita Carriedo. This…this was a good thing, actually. Lovino was trying to (dreading) get over his obsession, right? He was planning on shutting out this part of himself forever after the concert. Well…maybe Anita wouldn't stack up to his expectations of her? After all, most people never did once you started thinking about how they should be—how you wanted them to be. People were always different. It was something to count on. Lovino could practically _feel_ himself already getting over Anita.

That must be why his chest hurt, right?

* * *

><p>The concert went well. Exceedingly well, in Lovino's opinion. It was everything a concert by the Bad Friends was supposed to go. So why was he wanting more? Wasn't it supposed to be that after you got what you wanted, you lost interest? Why wasn't that happening? All Lovino felt now was a feeling that it wasn't enough, that there was still something missing.<p>

The beginning of the concert had been interesting. The curtain rose to a fog billowing out on the crowd (dry ice, as Ludwig helpfully told Lovino and his brother). Lovino held his breath the entire time, watching as more and more of the Trio could be seen. All of a sudden, spotlights turned on, illuminating the stage. There they were.

Marianne stood to the far left, looking stunning in her corset and long dress attire. She had a long cape on as well that somehow didn't look gaudy or stupid or out of place on her like it would anyone else. She wore a small crown on her head that reflected the light in such a way as to capture the perfect blonde sheen to her hair. Her eyes glittered in amusement at the sight of everyone falling over themselves to call out her name and cheer her on.

Julia—Julchen, as she was called on stage and by her friends—stood proudly in the center, basking in the glow of the crowd. From this close, Lovino could see the scar on her face that somehow didn't mar her face. Instead, it seemed to complement the sharp edge to her cheekbones, the sharpness in her multicolored eyes—everything about this woman was sharp. A few magazines tried to, when they were first debuting, air-brush the scar away but she wouldn't let them. There was a big scandal about how she tried to sue the magazines for 'false advertisement', but this only seemed to increase the band's popularity by saying that they were 'all natural'. She wore a long-sleeved dark blue jacket with red buttons and short red shorts that showed off her legs. To complete the look, Julchen had on a pair of thigh-high white leather tie-up boots that showed off the surprisingly graceful curve of her legs. She had her hands on her hips and a small, yellow live bird on her head that took turns between fluttering around her mistress and landing on her shoulder. Even the bird looked smug. It may have been Lovino's imagination, but he could have sworn that he saw Julchen wink over at Ludwig.

These two women, though, paled in comparison to the woman who was in front of Lovino, on the right of the stage. Anita—of course it was her—looked twenty times better in person than she ever did on Lovino's television screen or on a magazine. Her hair was tied up like always but somehow the few strands that managed to escape framed her face beautifully. As far as the band was considered, she was the one who was dressed the most conservatively in a red dress suit with black buttons in a double row on the bodice. There was a black striped on a yellow background dress shirt showing at the collar. Anita had a flower in her hair as well as cute ruffles along the hem of her skirt and sleeves. Her smile was kind and her eyes a bright green. She was so beautiful… Lovino felt his throat go dry and found it exceedingly hard to look away. She waved to the crowd, her smile turning bright and happy.

"Is everyone ready for the concert to begin?" Julchen asked, speaking into her headset. All three had them, making it easier to move around since they had their hands free. The crowd, including Lovino, roared back with approval, waiting for the concert to _really_ begin. Julchen smirked, glancing at her friends.

"I don't know," Marianne teased. "I think they don't like us anymore. I think they want us to go home without singing anything." The crowd roared that this was impossible and that they loved the Trio. To Lovino's relief, Anita came to their rescue.

"Oh, stop being so mean Marianne," she scolded gently. She walked over to Julchen and leaned against her shoulder, pointing out to the crowd. "Can't you see that they're all here to see us? I think the least we can do is show them a good time, no?' Julchen smirked widely, baring her teeth and showing off her impressive canines.

"We wouldn't want to disappoint them…" she trailed off, right as the music started to play.

The concert really was everything that Lovino had hoped for, and more. He could still feel his blood pumping and he was sure that his cheeks were still flushed. Feliciano, next to him, couldn't stop chattering about how much fun he had had, even if he did almost get caught up in a crowd surfing incident again. If it hadn't been for Ludwig keeping a firm hold on Feliciano's hand, as well as him using his 'lecture voice' as Feliciano calls it, then Lovino would probably have to put up wanted posters for his brother.

Again.

They were currently on their tour of the stadium, way in the back where the crowd of people was reduced to a dull buzz that could barely be heard. Lovino had to give them props for having such good soundproofing. They walked by different sound equipment, wires that went everywhere, a few props for other shows that were put on before this one, a few stage managers all shouting into their respective headsets, and various other things that Lovino half-expected to see in this kind of a place. The tour guide person was rambling on about structural supports and statistics as well as random history that the stadium had. Apparently a very famous rock group from fifty years ago or something passed through here. Only Ludwig paid any attention to the tour guide, and that was only because he thought it was the 'proper' thing to do. Feliciano and Lovino looked around at the various sites with differing degrees of enthusiasm.

Lovino didn't know if he was looking forward to the next part of Ludwig's plan or dreading it. On the one hand, he was genuinely excited to be able to meet his favorite band and favorite singer of all time. Anyone would be. This was his one chance to meet Anita and the rest of the Bad Friends. Lovino wouldn't lie; this was most likely his only chance to meet them in person. How many times could Ludwig's sister really arrange for them to meet the band? And how many more times would Ludwig even willingly take Lovino along? No, this was his only chance to meet them and he was going to make the best of it.

On the other hand, what if Lovino somehow screwed things up and Anita hated him? What if the band decided that they were too important to meet the younger sibling of the stadium manager and his two friends? What if Lovino never got over his infatuation with Anita?

Before he could really think about this much more than the general doubts, Ludwig pulled Lovino and Feliciano after him into a room that could only be the lounge. There were a few plush couches and loveseats set up around a central coffee table. A flat screen television hung on one of the walls and there were a few speakers set up in the corners where music and random bits of news from one of the stage managers played through. The whole room looked comfortable, the type of room where you could rest and relax before going onstage to perform.

"Wait in here and the girls will be along soon," the tour guide person said to Ludwig. Ludwig shook their hand.

"Thank you, Mark. You've been a big help." Huh. Guess he was a guy. Lovino didn't really notice those unless he had to.

Mark smiled tiredly. "At least someone thinks so. Be sure to pass that along to your sister, okay?"

"_Ja,_" Ludwig replied, sharing a tired smile with him. Mark left soon after. Lovino looked between Ludwig and the door. Ludwig's sister must have been a taskmaster or something. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to meet her now. No wonder Lovino hadn't heard about her before today.

After looking around some more, Lovino chose a seat on one of the love seats. Feliciano and Ludwig sat on the couch, talking about something or another in low murmurs. Lovino knew he should be feeling excited and nervous again, but for now he was just waiting. A sparkle caught his eye. Turning his head slightly, Lovino saw a single earring under the coffee table. Frowning slightly, he bent and picked it up, examining it in the light. It looked familiar for some reason…

"Oh! My earring!"

Lovino froze. That voice. That was all that registered before a warm body hugged him from behind, leaning over the back of the loveseat to do so. Even through their clothes Lovino could feel her touch scorching him where they connected, making a ring of fire around him. A hand came into his field of vision, gently taking the earring from his hand. Lovino turned his head slowly, coming face to face with Anita herself. She smiled at him—_she smiled at him!_—and addressed someone behind her.

"Look, Julchen, Marianne. It's my earring! I didn't think I'd see it again." She turned back to face Lovino again. His face felt uncomfortably warm when she smiled—_again_!—at him. "Thank you for finding it. Julchen told me that one of the staff probably stole it, but Marianne said that I dropped it somewhere because I'm clumsy. Personally, I think it fell off when Marianne was tickling me earlier. She can be kind of mean sometimes."

"Uh-"

"_Schwester_, can't you even be nice to your own friends?" Ludwig's voice cut out, interrupting anything Lovino was going to say. For once, he was grateful to the German man. He couldn't have said anything then anyway. He wouldn't have been able to form anything coherent to human speech since Anita was _still hugging him_. She hadn't let him go once since she grabbed him, not even to put her other earring back on. Instead, she reached around him to do so. Lovino could see from the brief space between them that Anita had taken her jacket off sometime ago, leaving her in only a striped dress shirt that had a few of the top buttons un-buttoned. He could feel her breasts pressing up against his back from where she leant in closer. He could practically feel her breathing on him. Lovino felt his throat close up again.

"But _Ludwig_!" A blur of silver, red and blue rushed by and attacked Ludwig, hanging off of him like some kind of external growth. To Lovino's great surprise, it was Julchen Beilschmidt. Julchen poked Ludwig's cheek a few times and messed up his carefully sculpted hair, all while laughing like a child. "I missed you! You know what it took to finally get you to come to one of my concerts? I had to hold it near the city you live! If I'd known that was all it took to get you to come, I would have insisted we throw one here sooner."

…wait.

"_Sister?!"_ Lovino screeched, incredulous. He was happy to note that apparently he had his voice back, but that didn't stop the embarrassment from knowing that he was making a scene in front of the Bad Friends. He could feel their stares, but he felt like this should be something expanded upon. "_You're sister is one of the Bad Friends?!"_

Julchen smirked at him, pulling Ludwig closer so that they were cheek-to-cheek. "What? You can't tell the family resemblance?"

"Well, if we go by how close these two look alike," Marianne said, stepping fully into the room for the first time; she pointed to Lovino and Feliciano as she made her point, "then I would say that, no. I can't see the family resemblance." Julchen growled, glaring at her friend. From behind Lovino, Anita laughed.

"This is why I love it when your _hermanito_ visits us, Julchen," she said. "He always makes it fun."

Feliciano laughed, sitting next to Lovino and poking him in the side. "I told you it was a surprise, fratello! But seriously, you should have known by now. I mean, their last names are the same and everything."

"He has a last name?" Lovino pointed at Ludwig accusingly. "You've never mentioned anything like that! It's always 'Ludwig-this' or 'Ludwig-that,' and you're always telling me every little thing about him, I thought he didn't _have_ a last name! Thought he was an orphan or something."

Julchen stopped glaring at a smirking Marianne. She looked back and forth between her brother and Feliciano, her snarl morphing into a wicked smile quicker than Lovino thought possible. She started chuckling, a sound very much like 'ke se se se.' Ludwig groaned in defeat, hiding his face behind his hand.

"Oh? West? What's this I hear about you and this little cutie over here? Is there something you want to tell you're older sister? Is there? Is there West?" Suddenly, Lovino could understand why he'd never heard of Ludwig's sister before. He could also understand why Ludwig never asked his sister for anything, either.

"Ve, I'm Feliciano Vargas!" Feliciano introduced himself. "That's my brother Lovino; he's a big fan of Anita's."

"_Feliciano!"_

"Oooh, _¿verdad?_ Great!"

"And I'm Ludwig's boyfriend."

"_Feliciano!"_

Marianne stared at everyone in amusement, taking a prim seat on one of the free love seats. "I've changed my mind. I like them, too."

"_¡Sí!_ Look at him, he's so red~ Like a tomato!" Lovino spluttered, not sure how he liked being compared to a fruit.

"I-I am not a fruit!" he protested. Anita pulled away enough to look at him in pleasant surprise.

"Wow, not a lot of people know it's a fruit and not a vegetable." She finally let go but only to move around the love seat to sit next to him.

"That's not the important thing right now," Julchen said. "When did you meet my brother? Where did you meet? What were you wearing? What was he wearing? What was the weather like? What was his expression like? When did you start dating? Who asked who? What was his expression then? I need to know _everything_ since Ludwig's apparently chosen not to tell me anything."

"Don't you get tired of doing this every single time?" Ludwig asked tiredly, slumped on the couch in defeat. His sister scoffed.

"When it comes to you? Never!"

Anita turned Lovino's face around to look at her instead of the drama that was unfolding between his brother, his brother's boyfriend, and his brother's boyfriend's older sister. She hadn't stopped smiling at him since she came in. Lovino thought he felt something in the pit of his stomach melt.

"Forget about them," Anita said. "Tell me more about yourself! I'm pretty boring, actually, but you seem interesting."

"B-boring? You could never be boring!" Lovino asserted. He blushed at the volume of his voice, though it didn't look like anyone else had noticed. Julchen and Feliciano were huddled together trying to figure out which date would work best for both of them to get together and talk about Ludwig. Ludwig himself looked like he was trying to block out the rest of the world. Marianne still sat primly on her sole loveseat ignoring everyone around her…or so it appeared. Somehow a large bottle of wine made its way onto the table in front of her as well as a wine glass in her hand. She took careful sips as her hooded eyes darted between the two groups. Somehow she still managed to seem serene through everything. Somehow, that just didn't seem to be fair.

Anita blinked, surprised. Her smile turned fond and her eyes creased in happiness. "You're too kind!" Lovino blushed deeper and looked away, mumbling that no, he really wasn't. Before he knew it, he was pulled into another hug by Anita. She smushed their cheeks together, hugging him close.

"You are so adorable! Did you know that? Oh, I just want to take you home with me." She turned to Marianne who looked on in amusement. "Do you think I could? He would be so fun to come on tour with us. Plus, then his brother would want to visit, and it would give Julchen an excuse to see her brother more often. What do you think, Marianne?"

Marianne glanced once at Lovino, who was sure his face with explode with how warm it felt, and looked back at her friend. "I think you should probably ask Lovino that himself. He may not want to come with us, even if he is a fan of yours. And don't you think he may have a life here? Of course, most of these types of 'fans' rarely do so he probably just sits at home all day watching old clips of our concerts and imagining that he was there with us, but you never know."

Lovino glared at her. How dare she say such things in front of Anita, even if it was half-way true! He totally had a job, and a good one at that. He definitely didn't like the French woman now. She was such a snob.

Anita tsked at her friend. "Marianne, what have we told you about insulting our fans like that? And anyway, Lovi doesn't seem creepy at all."

"…_Lovi?_" Lovino asked, looking at her weirdly. Anita didn't seem to notice and nodded with a smile.

"Uh-huh. Since you're name's Lovino, I just shortened it to Lovi. Isn't it cute?"

"No, it is not," he said firmly. He didn't care how much he may like this woman, no one calls him 'Lovi' and gets away with it. Well, except Feliciano sometimes, but that's only because he cried if Lovino yelled at him. "There is nothing 'cute' about it, nor is there anything 'cute' about me." All three members of the band, including Julchen who had overheard this last part, looked at him and then each other. As one, they snorted in amusement and disagreement.

"_Non,_ I think you are very cute," Marianne said, leaning forward with a glint in her eye. "_Tres mignon_, in fact. Julchen nodded emphatically.

"Yeah. I mean, other than my brother and your brother over here, you're like the cutest guy I've ever seen. And I don't mean that in an 'I'm coming onto you' kind of way, either. I mean 'cute as a puppy' kind of cute."

"Don't put yourself down like that, Lovi," Anita cooed as she pulled him closer for another hug. "We like you just the way you are. It's not nice to be so mean to yourself."

Lovino himself was spluttering, not exactly expecting his favorite band in the world to call him 'cute'. Even if it was in a slightly insulting way—I mean, a _puppy?_ And she thought that her own brother, Ludwig the Terminator Apparently-Beilschmidt, was cute. Clearly, she was messed up in the head. Though, he did have to admit that it sort of felt good when Anita complimented him like that. It made him feel almost special. He wasn't sure how he felt about the other two calling him cute, though. That kind of made him angry for some reason.

And, well, though things didn't exactly go the way he planned he still had to admit that all in all, this was a rather nice day. It wasn't exactly how he was planning on this meeting to go, but it somehow seemed perfect.

Even if the Bad Friends apparently wanted to steal him away to go on tour with them. He could just see the headlines when the rest of their fans found out about this…

* * *

><p>Despite Lovino's misgivings, he ended up being roped into following the Bad Friends on their tour. At first, Lovino thought that they (Anita) were just taking him along because they were amused and soon they would get bored of him and make him leave. It was a fear that Lovino had every day at the beginning of the tour especially since, well, they didn't even know each other. But, as the tour went on and he spent more time with the girls and really got to know them he found out the real answer.<p>

They were all crazy.

They really did want him around because he was 'cute'. Mostly Lovino spent time with Anita who seemed to have the biggest weakness to cute things out of the trio (Julchen not withstanding; apparently if anything concerning her brother or little birds came up, she was the most hard-core cute addict out of the three). As the weeks went on they got to know each other better and Lovino realized that he really did love Anita. It wasn't even because she was famous. There was just something about her that let him be his real self around her, and she even liked that 'real self'.

It came as a great surprise when, after a few months on tour, a random staff member asked Lovino out on a date. Anita, who had been in the room at the same time, broke the plate she had been holding and excused herself out of the room as quickly as she could. Lovino politely declined the invitation (since the staff member was female) and set out to find Anita. It took a while but he eventually found a member of the Trio…unfortunately, the _wrong_ member. He found Marianne. By this point he was almost desperate enough to ask her where the Spanish woman had gotten off to when the French woman cornered him and gave him a lecture about leading people on. Apparently, Anita came running to her best friend (who was good at relationship stuff; sorry, Julchen) to tell her about how Lovino had a new girlfriend and was apparently going to leave them, and how she didn't want that, and how confused she was about her feelings. Marianne calmly offered her some wine to calm down enough to get the whole story and then set out looking for the man who unknowingly broke her best friend's heart.

She did not take kindly to having her usually beautiful and elegant friend draped on her sobbing and looking particularly un-elegant. So, she told Lovino to fix it. And fix it he did.

As soon as he found Anita, he told her that he turned the staff member down because he already had someone he liked. Specifically, Anita. Anita took this news as well as could be expected. She crushed him into a hug and made him promise to never look at other women again. This was a promise he had kept ever since he first saw her on television, so he had no problems with it.

Shortly after, the couple announced to the media that they were dating. Even more shortly after, Lovino started receiving hate mail. He cheerfully replied back that they were just sore losers who should learn to accept reality. And no, he did not care about how hypocritical that made him.

After about a year or so of dating, the happy couple announced that they were going to have a baby. Oh, and that they were going to get married. Preferably before the baby was born, but you never knew. Soon after, they welcomed their first child into the world, a beautiful baby boy. Three years later they welcomed their daughter into the world as well.

Feliciano, when he heard about his brother finally having a girlfriend, decided that he didn't want to be outdone. Shortly after this announcement, he decided that he and Ludwig were going to get married. Ludwig was, naturally enough, frustrated that he was literally the last person to know this since he only found out when Feliciano and Julchen marched him over to the courthouse to sign the papers. Julchen said that this was because they didn't want to give him a chance to back out or to have second thoughts. Ludwig, blushingly, replied that this wouldn't have happened. It took the combined strength of the two security guards on duty at the court house fifteen minutes to pull Feliciano away from his new husband. Julchen just told the happy couple to send pictures from their honeymoon.

Marianne announced that she was getting married to her personal manager a few years later. Everyone was surprised, mostly because they hadn't even known that he existed. Marianne insisted that he was there the whole time, including on that fateful day when they all met each other. He'd even introduced himself and had waited with them until the Bad Friends showed up. His name was Matthew Williams, but to everyone else he was just some guy they'd never met. Marianne shrugged when she heard this since she didn't particularly want anyone else to take him away.

Julchen was just left wondering why she didn't have a guy. Then she met Sarah, a program coordinator from Australia. So, she was okay with not having a guy.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Forty-Two; Next up!—May I Escort You To Your Destination?<em>


	43. Life 42 Antonio and the Safe Friends

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 42; Antonio and the Safe Friends  
><em>_Summary__:__ When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Safe Friends!Antonio x Student!Lovino; Antonio's job is to escort people around campus and make sure they reach their destination safely. Now if only he can reach Lovino's heart…  
><em>_Rating__: T because of language and implications (really can't believe I did that; college, look what you've done to me)  
><em>_Disclaimer__:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><em>_Warning__: Implications, mentions of fourth degree criminal activity, language, my bad writing skills, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Francis, Gilbert, Alfred, Berwald, Matthias, Ludwig, Leon/Xiao, Kiku, Lovino, mentions of a few OC's, mentions of Yong Soo, Elizabeta, Roderich, Sadiq, Vash, Eva (Liechtenstein), Emma, Lars, Romulus, Lise (Monaco), Angelique (Seychelles), Garen.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, fake(?) Francis/Gilbert, Alfred/Yong Soo, Berwald/Matthias, Ludwig/Leon, Elizabeta/?, one sided Sadiq/Elizabeta  
><em>_Word Count__: 10,583.  
><em>_Notes__: The thing with Francis and Gilbert and their teacher is inspired by something that my sister and her friend are doing to their teacher. Of course, their teacher doesn't have the same reactions that Francis and Gilbert's teacher does (that I know of), but it's Hetalia._

_Safe Friends in here is based off of a service that my campus has, along with part of my experience with it. Unfortunately, there were no sexy Hetalia boys, but you can't always get what you want._

_The Foot-Stabber is a real thing. However, please don't follow in this person's footsteps (no pun intended). Be mature._

* * *

><p>"Shit, shit, shit!"<p>

Antonio muttered under his breath, running—no, _walking really, really quickly_—past the students on the sidewalk. A few gave him weird looks but Antonio didn't notice. He was late—another check at his cell phone clock—he had a minute and a half left before he was late for work. Antonio really shouldn't be late, especially since he and his two friends Gilbert and Francis were the ones to start up their escort service when they were freshmen. As a third of the boss, it would set a bad example to the other employees, particularly since he was a graduate student and should know better.

Plus, he didn't want Gilbert and Francis to tease him.

Again.

With thirty seconds to spare, Antonio made a mad dash through the student center, arriving at the folding table just in time. His cheering was cut short by Matthias' snort of laughter. Alfred had a smirk on his face. He had his phone in his hand, watching the time tick by.

"You got here just as the time changed. That has to be some kind of record for 'close shave!'"

Antonio pouted, taking Alfred's seat as he stood up. It was time for the shift change and Alfred could go home now. Lucky him. At least Francis and Gilbert weren't here. They were stationed at the library, ready to escort someone back to their dorm or another building. Ever since they took Dr. Héderváry's class, they insisted on doing everything together. That also included teasing Antonio because he was almost always almost late.

"Don't you think you should be nicer to your boss?" Antonio pointed out. Alfred and Matthias exchanged smirks.

"Why bother?" Matthias answered. "Didn't the dean say that you guys can't fire us just because you want to? The university is the one who's in charge, you know."

"Well, I got to get back to my apartment," said Alfred, looking at the time again. "If I don't get back soon, Yong Soo'll be worried."

"Whipped, whipped," Matthias coughed roughly behind his hand. Antonio could see he was grinning. Antonio smiled as well. Alfred glared.

"Yeah, I'm sure you know all about being whipped Matthias." Alfred snapped back. The Danish man's eyes widened.

"No, you're mistaken Alfred," Antonio said. The two younger men glanced at him questioningly. "He just _wishes_ he knew what it was like. Specifically, he wishes a certain someone would whip him." Alfred howled with laughter, tossing Antonio a wink as he left. Matthias flushed a bright red. He scowled at Antonio, crossing his arms and determinedly looked away. Antonio felt a little bad, but it was Matthias's own fault for not making a move yet. He, Francis and Gilbert as well as Alfred and Kiku had to spend all of the previous semester listening to Matthias bitching about how much he liked Berwald, another of their workers, and how he was sure that Berwald didn't even know he existed. Considering Matthias is Matthias as well as Alfred and Gilbert's best friend, Antonio kind of doubted this. It was impossible for anyone on campus to NOT know who Matthias was.

That, and Gilbert told Antonio that Matthias and Berwald grew up together. Matthias was just a drama queen.

Sure enough, after a few minutes Matthias was texting on his phone, a goofy smile on his face. He was probably talking to Berwald over at the main classroom building. Berwald was probably telling Matthias to stop texting him and focus on work. But, Antonio noticed, he would still text back whenever it was Matthias. Really, he was just encouraging the Dane to bother him at work. As one of the boss's, Antonio felt like it was his duty to keep things professional. But, like Matthias pointed out, the campus had taken over control of their escort business Safe Friends, so Antonio felt like professionalism could go jump in a ditch and die.

He, Francis and Gilbert weren't bitter at all. What gave you that idea?

Speaking of his two friends, Antonio felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

_dude, Alf just told us bout u b-ing L8. loser._

Antonio pouted again.

_I was not L8! I was on time!_ Gilbert could be so mean sometimes.

_whateva. UR still a loser._

_Jerk._

_Bitch_

_That's enough, you two. Gilbert, you probably haven't noticed but I'm taking a young, beautiful lady over to her dorm. Antonio, ask Gilbert about what happened in class with Héderváry today._

Antonio blinked. He wondered what happened.

_-crck! -_ The radio/walkie talkie on the table chirped.

"_Franny, you cheater! What are you doing with a lady?"_

"_As I texted you earlier, I'm taking her home. Unless you can give me a better offer?"_

Antonio grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Guys, I don't think your teacher is around right now."

"_Yes, can you please leave your juvenile pranks for when we're not working?"_

"_Luddy! How's it going, being a stick-in-the-mud over at the gym? Scaring anyone with your work out tips?"_

"_Like, how did you know? Brothers are amazing."_

"_It's not that amazing, Leon. Also, I presume that Matthias-kun is listening to this like everyone else? I request you to stop texting Berwald-san, he is having trouble concentrating on work."_

A loud sound resounded over the radio system, presumably Berwald trying to snatch away the walkie-talkie system. Matthias brightened up considerably. He grabbed the walkie-talkie away from Antonio.

"What? Berwald, you can't concentrate? That's no good, man! We're supposed to be working, right?"

"_Exactly. Everyone, off the radios unless you are __**actually**__ working."_

"_How boring. Don't worry, Gilbert; I'm coming home to you."_

"_I knew you couldn't stay away!"_

"_I said off!"_

Antonio and Matthias winced. He was sure that everyone else was wincing as well. Poor Leon. He was working with Ludwig, so he had the brunt of the noise. Matthias turned to Antonio, rubbing his ears.

"You'd think he'd be used to all this by now."

"Yeah…"

This was what work was usually like for Antonio. After spending most of his time in classes or doing work for his classes, it felt good to come to work and relax. It was also nice to be paid for doing this, too. The fact that they could drive in golf carts around campus to drop people off was a bonus. In fact, that was the reason why Alfred, Matthias, and Kiku joined up with their little group in the first place. Berwald and Ludwig were there to keep an eye on Matthias and Gilbert, respectively. Leon was just bored.

All in all, this wasn't too terrible a way to spend a Tuesday night.

Antonio's phone vibrated again.

_Ttly didnt get chance 2 tell U. In class, Franny put his arm around me whole time, didn't notice. Prof freaked, gave us weird smile._

Antonio rolled his eyes, a good natured smile playing on his face. Those two…

_When U going 2 ask 2 move in 2gether?_

_Prbly end of skool yr._

_Make sure I'm there._

_Will do!_

Ever since Gilbert and Francis took a class with Dr. Héderváry, they pretended that they were in a relationship with each other to troll their teacher. Apparently it started when they were pretending to be a couple to practice for Gilbert's French class as their teacher was passing by. Antonio was there at the time and commented that he thought that she might have thought they were a couple. It just went downhill from there, with "casual" touches, "innocent" dialogue, that kind of thing. The strange thing was, as time went on they were sure that their teacher was actually starting to ship them. Naturally, this only added to Gilbert and Francis' actions.

While Antonio was texting Gilbert, two girls came over to their table. Luckily Matthias had already bothered Berwald enough for one night so he was free to take their information.

"Hey, Antonio, think Francis is back yet?" Antonio shrugged. It was hard to tell with Francis. He could be back, but it depended on how far he went. Even with a golf cart, it could take a couple of minutes to get from one side of the campus to another. Then again, since it was Francis, he could have gotten distracted by a pretty lady or man.

Matthias nodded and smiled at the two girls. "Don't worry; I'll take you to your dorm myself." The girls giggled, enjoying his attention. With his smile still in place, Matthias stood up and grabbed one of the reflective blazers that were hanging off his chair. It was Safe Friends policy that whenever they went out at night they had to wear the vest. Francis and Leon were written up quite a bit because they didn't wear it regularly. As Francis said, it clashes with _everything_. The only one with worse fashion sense was Roderich Edelstein, the director of the music department at the university. Even Antonio had to agree with this, and he actually liked Roderich—he just dressed like such an old man!

Antonio took down the girls' names and ran them through their database to check if they had used their services before. Coming up with nothing, Antonio entered them into the database. First-timers, then. Matthias swiped one of the walkie-talkies on his way out. The girls trailed along behind him, talking softly to each other.

_-crck!- "This is Matthias, escorting two ladies to their dorm. Francis, are you anywhere near the northern part of campus?"_

"_Non__, I'm afraid I've already returned to my __cher__."_

"_Then, looks like I'm off on the cart!"_

"_Just don't crash."_

"_Hey! I've never crashed once, Berwald! Don't scare the girls!"_

Despite Matthias' words, Antonio could hear their giggles over the radio. He smiled to himself as the radio went quiet again. With Matthias gone and Francis and Gilbert not texting him (probably trying to figure out how to best pretend to make-out or something), Antonio pulled up his online reading that he needed to get done. That was one of the perks of their job; they could get their homework done while still getting paid. Antonio wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't get his work done here. It wasn't so bad before when he was an undergraduate. He had plenty of time back then, even if he didn't do his homework during work hours. Now that he was a graduate student, things were a lot different. Even Francis and Gilbert were probably catching up on their homework, despite Antonio's earlier teasing.

About halfway through a particularly boring piece of old literature, Antonio became aware that there was someone standing in front of the table. He looked like an undergrad, maybe the same year as Kiku. He had brown hair, dark green eyes, a frown on his face and an interesting hair curl. Antonio smiled at him.

"Hi, welcome to Safe Friends! Do you need us to escort you somewhere?" The man frowned again, holding his books tighter to his chest. He was obviously uncomfortable with having to ask. Antonio had seen this same thing before. A lot of men thought that it was wimpy or girly to use the escort service, especially since all of the workers were male. It was hard to swallow your pride and use their Safe Friends service, even though it would guarantee their safety around campus no matter the time of night. He gave the man in front of him a calming smile. "Don't feel embarrassed, you're not the first man we've escorted. Sometimes a guy will hail us as we're driving and will bum a ride. Safety comes first." That seemed to put the man at ease. He relaxed his grip on his books and seemed to loosen up. An arrogant look came over his face, to Antonio's amusement, when it looked like he wouldn't get judged.

"So, what, do you give that speech to everyone?" He asked, cocking his hip to the side. When Antonio stared blankly at him, he rolled his eyes. "'Safety first?' Come on, that sounds like some kind of Public Service Announcement."

"Well, Gilbert and I wanted to do one, but Francis put his foot down. He said it would cost too much, and the campus wouldn't let us hire background dancers."

The man stared. "Background dancers?"

Antonio shrugged. "Francis insisted. It was either background dancers or nothing, so it ended up being nothing. Gilbert said he didn't care either way, just as long as they didn't stand out as much as he did. So, where is it you want to go?"

"…N. Dorm, over in South Campus."

Antonio nodded, glancing at the empty seat next to him. Matthias should have been back by now, but he kept getting called over to different places around campus since he was already out anyway.

"Well, Matthias has the golf cart out right now. Let me find out where he is."

He pulled the radio over, absentmindedly taking the man's information down. His name was Lovino. Lovino Vargas. According to the database, he hasn't used their services before. Well, Antonio could kind of guess that from the way he acted earlier.

"Hey, Matthias? Where are you now?"

"_Missing me, too? If you're starting to act like your two friends, I'm flattered but I kind of already have someone I like."_

"_Hey, don't knock it 'till you try it."_

"_Brother…you know you're not really in a relationship with Francis, right?"_

"_Oh hon hon, how do __**you**__ know that?"_

"_I, like, think I just went blind with the mental images. So not cool."_

"That's not why I want to know!" Antonio protested. He knew that they could keep going for a long time, and he didn't want to grow deaf from Ludwig shouting again. "I have someone who wants to go over to N. Dorm over in South Campus. How close are you?"

"_Oh. That's much less interesting."_ Antonio sighed. He glanced at Lovino who looked about ready to try and go on his own.

"Don't worry, we're really not that bad. And, if you don't believe my blatant lies, then I can assure you that we've never had a problem while escorting people to where they need to go." Just as Antonio hoped, that caused Lovino to crack a smile, albeit a small one.

"_I'm still over here at North Campus. So it'll take me some time to get back. It would probably be quicker just to walk the person there yourself."_

"_I will come over to cover your table, Antonio-san. Berwald-san can cover ours by himself."_

"Great! I'll see you soon, Kiku!" After signing off Antonio realized something. "Crap, I didn't ask if you wanted me to walk you or if you wanted to wait for the cart and Matthias." Lovino snorted.

"I think I feel safer with you, after listening to that." Lovino gestured towards the radio. "You all sound crazy." Antonio smiled.

"You haven't even met them yet. We got reprimanded earlier for chatting on the radios instead of working. That was just us being on our best behavior." And Alfred wasn't here, either. But no need in scaring the kid.

Kiku came soon enough. After grabbing a flashlight to see better, Antonio and Lovino left. The walk was largely uneventful, though Antonio could have sworn he saw a streaker running by. Ignoring that for now, Antonio and Lovino walked in silence. Every now and then the radio that Antonio had to take with him would crackle to life and they would hear snatches of conversation floating out. Mostly it was just more requests that Matthias had to fill out since he was closest and had the golf cart. There was a humorous moment once when Matthias finally had enough and asked—quite loudly and colorfully—why Berwald or someone else couldn't help out.

"Because Berwald-san has to watch the table while I am watching yours," was the calm reply. Luckily for Matthias, Ludwig volunteered to take some of the escort jobs. Yeah, Antonio, Francis and Gilbert weren't very organized with their job. After the university took over, they just didn't feel that motivated anymore.

Soon enough, Antonio and Lovino reached N. Dorm. Antonio turned to Lovino and smiled. It may have been his imagination or the poor lighting, but he could have sworn that Lovino's face was red. But that was silly. Lovino didn't even look sick.

"See? I told you I'd get you back safely."

"I know. I'm shocked," Lovino replied, turning away from Antonio and towards the dorm building.

"Hey!" Antonio protested. He took great pride in Safe Friends. While they might be a little off, everyone who worked there took an oath that they would escort their customers safely to their destination. Ever since the beginning of Safe Friends' start up, they haven't had a single incident and none of their customers have been hurt when with them.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm an asshole to everyone." Lovino looked back over at Antonio. He hesitated, shuffling his feet and looking a little nervous. "Um. Listen, I-"

_-crck!- "Hey Antonio! I'm finally back at the desk and Kiku's going back to Berwald. That means you get to escort people around now! We got a call-in, you need to head over to Parking Structure 4."_

Antonio sighed, bringing the radio back up. "Gotcha. I'm coming back for the cart, though."

"_Wimp."_

"_Gilbert, shut up before I come over and make you shut up."_

"_With your muscles?"_

"_Leon. No, just—no."_

Antonio couldn't help smiling. He loved his friends. He turned back to Lovino who looked disappointed to be interrupted. "Sorry, I have to go now. What were you going to say?"

"Nothing, bastard," Lovino sighed. He looked like he missed his chance or something.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around campus or something? You can tell me then." Antonio started walking backwards since he really did need to get going, but it was rude to just leave things like that. Plus, it was kind of insulting to talk to someone over your shoulder like that. Almost like you didn't really care what the other person thought.

Lovino brightened up at that.

* * *

><p>Antonio didn't think much about the incident. He'd forgotten it, even, until the end of the week when he, Gilbert and Francis went over the books and records of the week. Back when it had been just the three of them and they were still the sole owners of Safe Friends, this hadn't been that bad. They had a few customers, some repeat customers, and the only records they kept were names and routes. Once the campus found out about their idea, they decided that it was the best idea mankind ever had (you know, other than that whole 'fire' thing) and that they were idiots not to come up with it themselves. They thanked Antonio and his friends and took the idea as theirs. Luckily Gilbert's grandfather was a high-powered, high-class attorney and managed to convince the campus that Antonio, Gilbert and Francis should stay on as the bosses. Since the campus, and the university in general, had an allergy to being sued they agreed on the condition that they oversee everything. Since this had to do with their students' safety, Gilbert's grandfather agreed with them.<p>

Ever since then, the trio had a lot more work to do. While the campus brought in more customers, something they all acknowledged as a good thing, it also brought in a lot of work, too. They had to compile tons of records, keep track of lots of small details like compiling routes, alternative routes, and alternative alternative routes as well as keep track of the number of people who used their services. Admittedly, the campus pays them now as well as their other workers, but sometimes it felt like too much extra work.

More than once they thought back to the good old days when it was just the three of them. Then again, they didn't have golf carts back then. It was a complicated feeling.

"Okay, we're on Tuesday night," Francis announced. He Antonio and Gilbert were in Francis' apartment. They were lounged around in Francis' bedroom with various papers and notes littered around. Francis sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. "Just four more days left…"

"Way to look on the bright side, buddy," Gilbert grumbled, rolling around in Francis' computer chair. Francis nagged at him to stop ruining the papers on the floor. Antonio whined.

"My head hurts!" His voice came out muffled since he was face down in the carpet.

"Your head always—wait, Toni, where are you?" Gilbert's voice sounded panicked.

"_Merde, _I think he's been buried!" That explained why it felt like there was something on him.

"Quick, pull him out, pull him out!"

"No, leave me, leave me! I don't want to do this anymore. Just let me die!" He wailed dramatically as Francis and Gilbert hefted him out by his arms. Francis checked him over to see if he was hurt and Gilbert slapped Francis' hands away. Good. They were starting to tickle.

"Now _Cher_, it's not that bad," Francis soothed. "Gilbert's the one doing all the _real_ work, anyway."

"I knew it!" Gilbert exclaimed. Francis and Antonio ignored him.

"All you have to do is tell us what you remember about your shift. Gilbert will write it up since he's the best at writing reports. And I'm here to look beautiful!"

"I'm really starting to hate you," warned Gilbert. "If you don't look out, I'll break up with you in front of Héderváry. I won't even say sorry!"

"Oh please, like you'd be able to resist _Moi._"

"Actually Gilbert, I think she's really supporting the two of you now," Antonio commented. "I think she'd try to get you two back together if you did 'break up.'"

Gilbert and Francis blinked, turning to look at Antonio. "How do you know that?"

"I saw her the other day with a camera, looking at the two of you when you were together. She said it was because she saw a cool bird on campus that she wanted to show her husband later, but I could have sworn I saw her glance your way with a weird smile while she was saying this."

His friends shivered.

"Think we should tell her the truth and stop this?" Francis asked.

"Nah," Gilbert said. "We could totally still get more out of this."

"Right," said Francis, unconvinced. "Well, when she decides to come after us with a frying pan I'll send her after you." Gilbert stuck out his tongue. Francis leered. "Don't offer something you're not ready to give." Gilbert gulped, his face turning a bright red. It helped that he was naturally pale; the blush made his face look as red as his eyes. A memory tickled at the back of Antonio's mind. Shaking the thought away, he got his two friends' attention.

"Hey, don't you think we should finish this soon?" He was met with two pillows hitting him in the face. They still got back to work, though.

Soon enough, it was Antonio's turn to talk about his shift. Antonio, dutifully, handed his notes and report for the night. Francis rifled through them quickly, listing off names, destinations, and status (first time or repeat customer) for Gilbert to write down in his report, starting from last to first just to liven things up. Francis hadn't been lying earlier. Gilbert really was quite good at writing up reports, both for work and for school. In fact, he was the one to teach Ludwig how to write reports, among other things. It was speculated, when the Beilschmidt brothers weren't around, that Ludwig got his anal tendencies from his big brother. How Gilbert ended up the way he did was anyone's guess.

"Lise Belmont, repeat, M. Dorm."

"Got it."

"Angelique Bartholomew—hey! She usually comes to see me, what's she doing with you?"

Antonio shrugged, not really caring either way. Some of the customers used their services because they wanted to be close to cute guys. A few of these, such as Angelique, had favorites. "I think she said that she had to meet a friend at the student center. She said to tell you she's sorry and she'll see you next week. So, yeah. Now you know."

Gilbert looked at Francis. "I knew it was a bad idea to let him around Leon alone, but nooo. You wanted to make sure he had friends."

"You may have had a point," Francis sighed. He looked back at the list in his hand. "Angelique Bartholomew, repeat obviously, S. Dorm."

"Got that, too."

"Emma Janssen, repeat, B. Dorm."

"I swear, I think she has a crush on you Antonio," Gilbert said, writing down the information. "She knows you're gay, right?"

"She does," confirmed Antonio. "She just doesn't care. Apparently, she's trying to make her brother upset since he hates me, so she only comes around when they're fighting. She's really nice, though. We're friends when she's not flirting with me."

Gilbert shook his head. "We need to get you a boyfriend." He stopped, looking thoughtful. "Hey, how do you think Héderváry would feel about a threesome? Or do you think she's completely sold on it just being us?"

"Normally I wouldn't mind a threesome, but I want you all to myself. I hate sharing." Francis leered, or at least tried to. He started laughing halfway, clutching his sides in amusement. Wiping away a stray tear he said "Oh God, we _have_ to have this conversation in front of her! Antonio, you need to be there to record the whole thing."

"You guys know you're my best friends but I don't know if I want to get pulled into your games." Antonio sat back, contemplating. "I mean, it sounds like it would be fun but I just have this feeling that it would turn out really, really bad. Especially when your teacher and cameras are involved."

"Oh, stop being such a baby."

"You know Gilbert, I've been meaning to tell you," Antonio said. "You can be hurtful with your words. I know it's part of our friendship to make fun of each other, but sometimes I feel like you take it too far. You too, Francis. I'm a beautiful person with beautiful feelings."

"Of course, _Cher_," Francis soothed. He petted Antonio's hair as Antonio leant into him. "Gilbert's just taking things out on you. It's called projection. You see, he's not doing so good in one of his classes—you know, the one with Adnan?"

"It's bullshit!"Gilbert exploded, throwing his arms in the air. "He totally has a boner for Héderváry, but does he take it out on her husband?"

"No?" guessed Antonio.

"Exactly! Instead, he's taking it out on me since I'm part of her 'new obsession' or something. I mean, even Franny's in his class too, but he doesn't do _anything_ to him!"

"That's because he likes me," Francis explained with an amused smile. "We're beard-buddies." He winced delicately like only he could. "Ah…_he_ chose the name."

"Should we get back to work?" suggested Antonio. He had a feeling those two could go on for a while, and Antonio wanted to get done soon. Gilbert was heavily invested in his grades because of his grandfather putting pressure on him and he loved arguing so he could literally go on for hours. Francis, like a proper instigator, was good at knowing which buttons to press and which things to say to rile someone up so he definitely wasn't any help. Maybe if Antonio used his cute puppy dog pout-face, they could get finished soon.

Francis sighed again, no doubt lamenting the missed opportunity. "Eva Zwingli—_Mon Dieu_, you had _**Vash Zwingli's sister**_ as a client?!"

"Isn't he, like, the Ace of the marksmanship team?" Gilbert asked. He stared at Antonio in something akin to awe, horror and surprise, like he was surprised Antonio was still alive. Antonio felt that way as well, even all the way on the weekend. Vash Zwingli was notoriously over protective of his sister. "How are you still breathing through your mouth and not an air tube?"

"Because Eva called Safe Friends herself." Antonio still remembered how nervous he'd been the whole time. "That's also the reason I had my radio turned off."

"I thought that was because you were tired of Matthias bitching and moaning like a love sick puppy," put in Francis mildly. "I know I would have done the same thing. And I don't even have to work a shift with him."

"No, I just didn't want Eva, or worse her brother, hearing you all go on and on like that. Actually, Vash was pretty okay with the whole thing. As long as his sister's safe—and we keep our customers safe—he doesn't care that much. I mean," Antonio explained, "he wanted to know the route we took but it's not like he threatened me with his rifle or anything. Just his fist, and only when Eva wasn't looking."

"Wow, that's practically approval coming from our favorite hedgehog," said Francis.

"That's 'cause he knows Antonio's gay, so he doesn't have to worry about leaving his sister alone with him so much," said Gilbert wisely. Antonio looked back and forth between his friends, biting his lip. Gilbert noticed and leaned forward. "What, there's _more_?"

"Well," Antonio sounded out. "Vash has club and team duties since he's captain now. Eva has study group, so she'll be staying late most nights at the student center. So, I'll be escorting her for the rest of the semester—at least." It came as no surprise to anyone that Matthias wasn't even considered. Silence met this statement. Francis and Gilbert exchanged glances again. Antonio hated when they did that. He always felt left out. Finally Gilbert spoke up.

"Antonio? I'm only saying this because I'm a friend and I care about you."

"What?"

"Don't suddenly change your orientation, or decide you like girls after all. Just stay gay, for your own safety."

Antonio felt a metaphorical sweat drop form. "I wasn't planning on changing…"

"What we need to do is find you a boyfriend." Francis was strangely serious. "We were joking before, but now it's a matter of life or death. We need to get you a boyfriend."

Antonio ignored his friends. He knew they meant well half of the time, but they were irritating the other half. It felt like they were dangerously approaching that other half. When it didn't look like they would get an answer Francis continued on with the list of names.

"Lovino—Antonio, _cher_, you forgot the last name again." Lovino…that name sounded familiar. Why did it sound familiar? Obviously he must have escorted them, but he was having trouble remembering the details. He'd slept since then, so it was understandable. He was sure a streaker was involved somehow…

"Waitaminute, waitaminute," Gilbert interrupted, sitting up fully with wide eyes. "'Lovino'. That's a _guy's_ name. Are you telling me we actually had a male customer for once?"

"Now that's a surprise," Francis said, raising an eyebrow in interest. "When was the last time we were host to a gentleman? One who didn't just hop a ride, that is?"

Gilbert rolled over to Francis' filing cabinet, determined to find an answer. Now that they mentioned it, Antonio remembered him. Lovino. He'd been so shy at first, but he gradually warmed up enough to allow Antonio to escort him. And, if Antonio was honest, he'd been pretty cute, too. He remembered the way Lovino's face had looked when he finally left. It almost looked like he had been about to tell him something.

"I wonder what he was going to say," Antonio said to no one in particular. This attracted his friends' attention.

"What who was going to say?" Francis asked, draped across Gilbert who was trying to keep something away from him. He said this calmly enough, considering he had his 'lover' in a headlock and had Gilbert pulling on his hair while trying to push his face away. Something must have happened while he wasn't looking. Antonio ignored their positions for now since this kind of thing always happened.

"Lovino. I was just remembering when I escorted him on Tuesday," he explained. "I think he was about to say something to me but I got called away to pick up Eva. He looked kind of sad when I had to leave, too. I wonder if it was something important?" He looked at his friends, waiting to know if they had any ideas. They always had ideas. Maybe now they would have some good ones.

"Gilbert." Francis said after a moment. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That this Lovino guy totally wants to bone 'Toni?"

"Not quite how I would have put it, but yes." He looked at Antonio again who was blinking slightly at their comments. If anything, he would be the one on top… "Antonio. For the love of Love, _please_ tell me you at least know his last name?"

"What's knowing his last name going to accomplish?" asked Antonio, trying to remember the name. It was Spanish, he remembered because it made him slightly happy.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. He then threw Francis off since the Frenchman was distracted and not paying attention. His little pet bird, which had been hiding earlier for some reason, flew around its master's head, chirping at him happily. "Because, that way we can look him up in the student directory and stalk him!"

"That doesn't sound nice," Antonio pointed out. What was that name? Rodriguez? No… "He seems like the twitchy kind. It would probably just scare him away."

"You still haven't said his last name," Francis pointed out. He sighed. "You forgot, didn't you?"

Smiling sheepishly, Antonio had to admit that he had. He didn't understand it. He remembered Lovino telling him the name, but he just couldn't remember it. Weird.

Before getting back to work Gilbert had this to say to Antonio. "So let me get this straight. On a random Tuesday night, you managed to steal one of Francis' regulars, took on Eva Zwingli as a steady customer, and had our first male customer in months who also likes you just when you need to get a boyfriend thanks to taking on Eva Zwingli as a regular." He shook his head. "If this is a Tuesday for you, I'd had to see what the rest of your week was like."

Antonio stopped listening after that. He stared out the window, thinking about when the next time he would see Lovino would be.

* * *

><p>The next time Antonio saw Lovino was on a rainy day a few weeks later. Antonio didn't forget him this time. Lovino was dressed up this time with nice slack pants and a hand knit sweater that somehow brought out the gold flecks in his eyes. Antonio hadn't even noticed the gold in his eyes the first time. Lovino had a leather satchel bag draped over his shoulder with a few books poking out. Antonio could see that they included a classics book, two art theory books, and a design book. There were probably a few more but Antonio couldn't see them.<p>

In fact, Antonio wasn't the first one to see him. He had one of his own books open to read when he heard Matthias beside him shift.

"Hey, welcome to Safe Friends! We'll get you where you want to go safely, no matter what. What can I do for you?"

"Oh." The voice sounded uncertain…and familiar. Antonio looked up and saw Lovino standing in front of the table. He shuffled from one foot to the other and sent a quick glance at Antonio. Antonio smiled.

"Hey, Lovino! Been a while, huh?"

Lovino shrugged and looked to the side. He looked happier, somehow. "I've been busy."

Antonio nodded. "That makes sense. So, where do you want to go? Since it's raining, we can take the golf cart."

Matthias, who had been watching the two of them with amusement, protested. "Hey, why are you taking him? I'm free too, ya know."

Antonio smiled at him. "Yes, but you said that you didn't want to be stuck out there if more calls came in. Remember?" It may have been low, but Antonio was determined to be the one to escort Lovino. Technically, Matthias _had_ complained about this…two weeks ago. Since then, though, the work load was made a little more even among the stations so they didn't have the same problems since. Antonio sneakily pulled out his cell phone and pulled up a blank text message as a subtle threat that he could fix that. With one text, he could have Francis and Gilbert on his side. It helped that they were determined to get him a boyfriend and would be willing to mess with the Danish man just on general principle. Matthias knew this and frowned at Antonio. On principle, Antonio, Francis and even Gilbert didn't like to abuse their power. However, when they did they usually went overboard.

Antonio took Lovino's information again, this time remembering his last name and placing him on the repeat customer tab. Matthias sulked in his seat, furiously texting away on his phone. Antonio looked at Lovino and smiled, standing up and grabbing his gear.

"So, are we going back to N. Dorm?"

"Not this time," Lovino told him. He adjusted the book bag on his shoulder. "I'm going to the library. I have a paper due soon."

If they were going to the library then they would meet with Francis and Gilbert. That could be fun, and Antonio would be able to introduce Lovino to them. There was a part of Antonio that wanted to keep Lovino all to himself for now, but he was sure that that wouldn't work. Mostly because Antonio was sure that Matthias was texting Gilbert and Francis right now about what was going on, but also because it seemed a little possessive. They were barely acquaintances. That would be more than a little weird and just a touch creepy.

Instead, he smiled and led Lovino over to the cart. At this time of night, even if it was raining, there were still a few students hurrying around campus mostly going to and from various club activities. Antonio had to drive slowly so he wouldn't hit them. This was okay, though. It gave him more of a chance to talk with Lovino.

"So, what made you decide to use Save Friends in the first place?"

Lovino frowned, a small blush lightly dusting his cheeks. "My stupid grandpa. He practically raised me and gets kind of weird if I'm out alone at night. When he found out about…_Safe Friends_, he made me promise that I'd use it." He trailed off, sounded a little awkward.

Antonio nodded, not really knowing what else to say. Since he part-way owned Safe Friends, he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound like bragging. But he couldn't help it. They really were the safest service on campus so Lovino's grandpa was right in insisting that Lovino use it. Plus, this way Antonio was able to meet Lovino. Making a soft noise, Antonio remembered something. He pulled over to the side of the sidewalk and dug around in his bag. Lovino looked at him in confusion and suspicion.

"What are you doing, bastard?"

Antonio's hand grasped a stack of fliers that he pulled out of his bag with a flourish and a bright smile. "I forgot, I need to give you one of these!" He handed one of the flyers to Lovino and stuffed the rest back in his bag. "Whenever we take someone to the library, we always give them a list of Safe Tips."

Lovino read over the flyer. His eyebrow rose steadily as he read. Antonio was slightly jealous. First Francis, now Lovino. He wished he could do that, too. It looked like a fun and useful skill to have.

"'Don't wear open-toed shoes,'" Lovino read out loud, sounding incredulous. "'If you have to wear open-toed shoes, study in one of the designated study areas on the upper floors. If you are in the basement, study at one of the tables, not the study alcoves. If you see someone suspicious crawling on the floor, contact a librarian immediately.' What the hell? Why would someone be crawling on the floor?" He sounded disgusted, but only at the hygienic aspect of crawling on the ground.

Antonio looked at him in surprise. "Well, the Foot-Stabber would, of course." Antonio thought everyone knew about the Foot-Stabber. He (or she) was practically campus legend. An urban myth.

Lovino started to laugh but caught himself. He looked at Antonio like he was about to tell him that they whole thing was a joke. He blinked and stared at Antonio incredulously.

"What, you're _serious?_"

"Of course." Antonio started up the cart again and set off for the library. "We don't joke about safety matters while on the job, and especially not about the Foot-Stabber. Especially since he's been 'spotted' recently." He looked at Lovino out of the corner of his eye. "I thought everyone knew about the Foot-Stabber."

Lovino flushed and fiddled with the flyer nervously. "…I haven't exactly been at this university for very long. My grandpa convinced me to transfer." He was silent for a moment. "He didn't say anything about a Foot-Stabber."

Antonio laughed, despite himself. Lovino peeked at him. It was very cute. "Chances are you probably won't meet him. At least, not if you wear sensible shoes." He stole a glance at Lovino's loafers. "You should be okay. Mostly he goes after people in sandals and flip-flops."

Lovino snorted. "So, tell me more about this guy."

"Well," Antonio began with a smile, "no one knows what he looks like, or even if it's really a he. He's never been caught, so we don't really know what he's like."

"Nobody's seen him? Then how do you know that it's the same person every time?"

"We don't," admitted Antonio. He could see the library looming in front of him. "He was active when I was a freshman, and he only strikes a few times a year—like, once or twice, and only in the basement of the library."

Lovino nodded. They parked and Antonio waited while Lovino gathered his things. Lovino raised an eyebrow (so jealous!) but looked slightly pleased and didn't say anything. As they entered the building Lovino turned to Antonio once again.

"So, what does he stab them with? Should I be on the lookout for someone with a knife, or a water pipe, or what?"

Antonio grinned. "He stabs them with a pencil. It's probably why no one catches him, since every university student carries a pencil or pen with them at some point." Personally, if Antonio was going to stab someone he would have used something else. Then again, he didn't really think that stabbing people's feet was cool. In fact, it was pretty lame. Who had the free time to do something like that, and that was all they could think of to entertain themselves? There were a lot more entertaining, and lawful, things that Antonio could think of doing other than that. But he digressed.

Right after entering the main floor of the library Antonio caught sight of Gilbert and Francis. At the same time, they caught sight of Antonio and Lovino. He steered Lovino over to meet his friends, not wanting them all to be kicked out because Gilbert and Francis decided to shout to get Antonio's attention. Gilbert looked a little put out because he couldn't shout at his friend. Francis looked relieved that he and Gilbert wouldn't have to wait around outside in the rain for customers.

Again. Despite their 'relationship status', Francis made it quite clear that his hair came first. Antonio was there when Francis told Gilbert this in front of their teacher the other day. She'd looked a little disappointed at first but then gained a strangely determined and happy look. Almost as if she was determined to make it so that Gilbert _would_ come before Francis' hair. Antonio was worried for his friends sometimes.

"Hey, 'Toni. Who's this?" asked Gilbert with a wide, knowing grin. He elbowed Francis to make sure he was paying attention. Lovino considered the two men in front of him warily. He moved a little behind Antonio, glaring at Gilbert and Francis with mistrust. Antonio thought this was a pretty smart move on Lovino's part.

"This is Lovino! I'm escorting him." Antonio considered for a moment. "Or, I was escorting him. But now we're here."

"What do you want, a medal?" Gilbert rolled his eyes. There must have been more problems with his teacher. Usually he wasn't this snarky when he first met people. Lovino frowned at Gilbert but was distracted by Francis before he could say anything.

"Ignore Gilbert. We all do," he told Lovino, leaning over the table to get a better look. For some reason Antonio felt like punching his best friend. In the throat. Gilbert looked like he was thinking about this, too. "My name is Francis, by the way. Francis Bonnefoy. Antonio's told us so much about you." Antonio and Lovino blushed at this, not looking at each other. Oh yes, Francis was getting punched in the throat later.

"You…talked about me?" Lovino asked, looking up at Antonio. He looked flattered. And adorable. Definitely, definitely adorable.

"Oh, all the time," Gilbert interrupted. "Can't stop talking about you, actually. The only thing he hasn't told us is your last name…?" Antonio glared at him in exasperation. Were they still on about that? Lovino glanced between the three of them.

"My name? Didn't you write it down on your report or whatever?" Antonio pouted, unknowingly increasing the blush on the other's face.

"Sometimes he's forgetful," Francis supplied. "You'll just have to put up with that. Don't worry, it increases his charm." Lovino definitely blushed at that, as did Antonio.

"Uh, Franny—"

"Oh for the love of God, will you just tell us your last name already?" Gilbert exclaimed suddenly. They each received a death glare from the librarians but Gilbert ignored them. He never was very patient.

_-crck!-"Gilbert, why am I getting texts from the librarians saying that you're causing a disruption and yelling at clients?"_

Gilbert snatched the radio, still feeling snappish apparently. "Better question is, why do the librarians have your number in the first place? Should I be concerned?"

"_I, like, think I should be the one concerned. Are you cheating on me with an authority figure? So not cool."_

There was a noticeable pause after this statement. Gilbert stared at the radio in his hand uncomprehendingly.

"…What? Ludwig, are you—?"

"_**Nein!**__ Leon, this is not the time—and the librarians only have my number because they know that I'm your brother. I think they think I can keep you in line somehow."_

"_Leon, I shall talk with you later. Ludwig-san, I believe it was your own rule that we should keep off the radios if we are not using them for work. Gilbert-kun, why are you yelling at customers? That does not seem like you."_

Francis took the radio from Gilbert's hands. "That is because we are trying to find out Antonio's boyfriend's last name, but Gilbert is too impatient."

Antonio flushed as Lovino spluttered.

"He's not my boyfriend! Stop saying such things." Antonio protested. Lovino looked at him, hurt.

"You don't like me?"

"I never said that!" Why did Antonio feel like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place? It didn't help that Antonio knew that Francis fiddled with the radio so that everyone could hear him on the other side. "I like you a lot."

"_Great, you two can kiss and make up. In the mean time, I don't care if you're a third of my boss, Antonio get your ass back here with the cart! I was wondering what was taking you so long. Thought you might have been making out in the cart or something. You wanted to be alone with him bad enough."_

Matthias was now on the throat-punching list. Maybe Antonio should write this down so he doesn't forget…

"Matthias. Swear to God. My fist. Your throat." Antonio didn't know when the radio appeared in his hand. Maybe around the same time that Francis' fingers got hurt. He was cradling them against his chest, glaring balefully at Antonio. Oops.

"Yeah, you're just upset that Antonio's going to get some but you won't. How are things with you and Berwald, by the way?" Gilbert asked in his own radio that he took from Antonio. Matthias remained silent, too shocked to say anything. Good.

Antonio swallowed, glancing at Lovino once. He almost didn't want to see what his expression was like. This wasn't really the way he wanted Lovino to get to know him. It would be a miracle if Lovino still wanted to have anything to do with Antonio after this. He could practically feel his chance slipping away. Best to try and salvage the situation.

"Look, we're not even going out. You should stop saying things like this."

Francis looked at him, unimpressed. His hand must have still hurt. Gilbert took it in his own hands, gently blowing on the fingers and rubbing them to relieve the pain.

"Fine. I'll solve this for you." He looked at Lovino. "Do you want to go out with Antonio?"

"Fran-!"

"Yes." Pausing, Antonio was sure that he must have heard wrong. He looked at Lovino in amazement, searching his eyes to see if what he'd said was the truth. Did he really say—? "I said, yes, I'll go out with you. Pick me up at seven this Saturday?"

Antonio could not get the words out fast enough, even with the audience he knew was listening. "Yes! Definitely, seven this Saturday. Francis, Gilbert? You're on your own."

"Meh. Figured as much," Gilbert replied. He still exchanged smirks with Francis, knowing that this was going to happen sooner or later. He turned to Lovino who looked pleased with the turn of events. "You know, you still haven't told us your last name."

Lovino rolled his eyes, obviously tired of this conversation already. That's now Antonio was feeling, too. He didn't care what the last name was, just as long as he and Lovino could still hang out together.

"It's Vargas. My name's Lovino Vargas."

Ah, that was it! Antonio remembered again. For some reason, he just kept repressing his new boyfriend's last name. It was a shame, since it fit him very well and was Spanish~ That was like saying that Lovino was destined to end up with him or something.

Francis and Gilbert froze in their seats, eyes wide. The radios, which had been crackling every now and then to show that the others were listening in, went silent. Lovino looked between Antonio's friends with a frown on his face, suddenly defensive.

"What?"

_-crck!- "You know what, forget what I said earlier. Antonio, stay as long as you want. Or not. I don't even know anymore."_

"_Gilbert. I don't think I need to remind you to be on your best behavior. You may want to apologize while you're at it."_

"_Um, Ludwig-san? I really don't think that your brother would do such a thing in this particular situation."_

Gilbert squeezed the radio in his hand hard, almost cracking the plastic casing. "Ludwig. Everyone. Off the radios until I say otherwise." He didn't take his eyes away from Lovino the entire time. Lovino shuffled anxiously on his feet, giving Antonio questioning glances.

"What? What did I say?"

Francis intervened before Antonio could say anything. It was probably for the best; Francis always was the best at explaining things. "You said that you're last name is Vargas…any relation to Romulus Vargas, the president of the university?" AKA, the one who stole their hard-earned, self-made business. The one who decided to regulate everything. The one who brought every curse that the trio of friends could think of down on himself.

Lovino shuffled his feet again. "My grandfather. So?" Really, it was no wonder why Antonio kept repressing his last name, even if it was perfect otherwise.

Leaning over the table, Gilbert squinted shrewdly at Lovino. "So, I guess it's a coincidence that the grandson of the guy who ripped us off and shut us down just so happened to decide to use our services?"

Lovino's frown deepened. "No, he told me to use you guys since I was going to be staying out late, anyway. And what do you mean, ripped you off?" Sensing Lovino's discomfort, Antonio gave him the brief version of what transpired between the friends and the head of the university—leaving out the lawsuit, of course. He didn't want to completely alienate his new boyfriend before he even got to have a date with him, let alone a kiss! Surprisingly, Lovino sighed heavily, almost like he wasn't that surprised.

"Figures," he said, shaking his head. "That stupid grandpa of mine; he probably wanted me to spy on you guys." To Antonio's surprise, and slight pleasure, Lovino pouted. He looked absolutely ADORABLE when he pouted! It was almost too much for him to take. "Stupid…what am I, just some tool for him to use?" He murmured this last part to himself, almost soft enough so that Antonio and his friends couldn't hear him. They probably weren't supposed to. Francis and Gilbert exchanged glances again. They were practically a couple, Antonio sometimes felt that they should have made it official by now.

"You know what, we've changed our minds. He's a keeper, Antonio," Francis declared. Antonio didn't know why he needed their approval to date the _adorable_ Italian since he would have done so anyway, but he supposed that it was nice to know that they liked him.

Gilbert stepped around the table and hooked his arm around Lovino's shoulder, startling him. "Looks like you get to join the exclusive club of those who've been screwed over by your granddad. As far as I know, that's just the four of us. Welcome to the club, little man." Lovino scowled, slapping Gilbert's hand away.

"I am not little!"

"Oh ho, _really_?" Francis leered up at him, making Lovino hide behind Antonio once again. By that point, Antonio felt like enough was enough.

"Okay. I'm going to take Lovino to his table so he can study. Then I'm going to punch you in the throat, Francis. And then I'm going back to my station. So, are you ready to call it a night?" Antonio smiled brightly at his friends. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that Francis paled at his threat. Good. He knew what he did. Without waiting for a reply, he turned Lovino and led him away from the table.

After a moment of silence, Antonio addressed the Italian he had his arm around. "Sorry about back there; Gilbert's been kind of high-strung lately because his teacher's giving him a hard time. Whenever Gilbert's upset, he tends to bring us all down. I hope they didn't scare you…"

Lovino gave him a look. "Please. I just found out that my grandpa's probably using me to spy on you guys. I think I can handle your friends." He blushed and looked away, speaking softly. "They didn't seem that bad, bastard."

Antonio smiled and turned Lovino around so that he was facing him. He brought his hand up to rub Lovino's left cheek gently, brushing some of his hair out of his face. His heart started beating faster when Lovino leant into his touch and his lowered his eyes partially. Feeling bold, Antonio leant in and stole a quick kiss. He felt a slight blush on his face.

"So, I'll see you later?" Antonio's voice was low and husky. Lovino's face grew red and his eyes glittered. He tried to look away like he didn't care but Antonio could see the goofy smile that played on his lips.

"Maybe. If my schedule works. But definitely this Saturday at seven, right?" Now it was Antonio's turn to smile goofily.

"Of course!" But for now, he still owed Francis a little present…

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Romulus Vargas didn't send his grandson to spy on Safe Friends. At least, that wasn't the only reason. He really was concerned about his grandson's safety, and he said that he wouldn't have recommended the service if he didn't know that it was already safe. Of course, he wanted an inside look on the operation so if he was sending his grandson anyway, then why not?<p>

Lovino reportedly punched his grandfather in the face and refused to talk to him for two weeks. Romulus agreed to back off after that.

Shortly after Antonio and Lovino's first date, Dr. Héderváry somehow found out about their relationship and started making efforts to support them like how she did for Francis and Gilbert. It didn't stop there. Soon other pairs of young men on campus became aware of the teacher following them around and 'supporting' them. It soon came to the point where even if it didn't seem like there was anything there, she would make something up to have a reason to 'support' them. Nobody forgave Francis and Gilbert for this, even after they came clean to their teacher about everything.

Of course, since the two really did start dating their explanation didn't really mean much. Instead, Dr. Héderváry took this as evidence that she needed to actively help other couples out so that they could find the same happiness. They had created a monster. Francis and Gilbert married straight out of grad school and started up their own business that did fairly well on its own. It helped that they two had tons of ideas between them, and a few were even very good.

After that fateful day in the library, the relationship between Ludwig and Leon became complicated. After a certain teacher's prompting, however, the two officially started dating. Unfortunately, their relationship didn't work out because of various reasons, though both still loved each other. After university, they went their separate ways and never saw each other again. Often, they would wonder what would have happened if they had taken the teacher's advice.

Matthias and Berwald, after a long talk one weekend, started dating and continued on strong for quite a while. They eventually married and moved out to the countryside where they opened their own furniture shop that became nationally renowned.

After university and graduate school, Antonio and Lovino moved in together for a few years before they officially got married. Antonio was especially happy since this meant that he didn't have to keep blocking out his loved one's last name. They stayed married for thirty-four years when Lovino caught a respiratory disease and died a few months later. Antonio lived for about ten years after this when he died in an automobile crash.

* * *

><p><em>End of Chapter Forty-Three; Next Up!—Send Me A Note Sometime.<em>


	44. Life 43 Welcome to SPQR Suites!

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 43; Welcome to SPQR Suites!  
><em>_Summary__:__ When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Tenant!Antonio x Manager!Lovino; Lovino just thought that his job as a manager would be, at most, boring. Antonio, his friends, and the rest of the tenants prove him wrong.  
>Rating: T for language.<br>__Disclaimer__:__ I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. I also don't own The Veronicas or any of their songs (I'm just a fan) as well as any Vocaloid that may or may not be mentioned in here. Again, just a fan.__  
><em>_Warning__: Some language, my horrible writing skills, long waits, __long__ chapters, my fail chat speak, etc.  
><em>_Characters__: Romulus, Lovino, Antonio, Francis, Gilbert, Ivan, Alfred, Kiku, Heracles, Elizabeta, Arthur, Toris, Feliks, Eduard, Raivis, Roderich, mentions of Matthew, Leon, Yao, Natalia, Katyusha, Jacinta (Fem!Cuba), Atanas (Bulgaria), Luíz (Mexico), Kyle (Australia).  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino, past Lovino/Jacinta, Jacinta/Atanas, Ivan/Elizabeta, Ivan/Francis(?).  
><em>_Word Count__: 12,131.  
><em>_Notes__: I hate this format, I hate this format, I hate this format. –This, along with finals and final papers, is pretty much the reason why this chapter took so long. Apologies._

_On another note, this idea came about when me, my sister and our friend were reading over our lease agreement and noticed that we would have to be sending in notes and mail to our building manager. Then this came to be._

* * *

><p>Date: August 1st, 20XX<br>To: All employees  
>From: Romulus Vargas<br>Subject: It's the new school year~!

You know what this means; new guests! Of course, we'll be welcoming some of our older tenants back. Most notably are the tenants of room 32 in building 5 (you know the ones). Now, I have had strong, personal talks with each of these customers so I don't think we'll have any problems this year. Manager of Building 5—and my darling Grandbaby—Lovino, be sure to do your best and report to me if you have any problems. Not that I think you will.

This goes for all employees. If you feel that there is a problem, don't hesitate to bring it up with me. If, for some reason, you can't reach me, then feel free to take it up with Lovino!

As always, none of our rules have changed since the previous year except we no longer admit anything that can produce a flame into the housing apartments. I'm sure you all remember last year's fiasco with the fireworks. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have another 'chat' with the fire marshal.

Not again.

Well, this is your wonderful boss welcoming you back to another exciting year ahead of us! Let's make the best of it, shall we?

Romulus Vargas

P.S. Lovino, I can feel you glaring at me from here. If you have a problem, you know where to find me.

* * *

><p>Date: August 2nd, 20XX<br>Stupid grandpa,

I know you're avoiding me. Why else would you not be in your office the whole day? Yes, I waited. No, I did not shirk my duties.

God, it's not like anyone's even here yet anyway.

I saw your cute little email. Why the fuck are you leaving everything up to me? And since when have I been the building manager of #5? I don't want to deal with those crazy people again! The only ones who stay there are freaks. Do you screen them or something?

Anyways, stop avoiding me. It's childish, and I'm tired of dealing with it.

Lovino

* * *

><p>To: Francis Bonnefoy, Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>Date: August 5th, 20XX<p>

I'm the aptmt. Looks ok. Manager looks more than ok :)

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: August 5th, 20XX

Oh? How so?

**X**

To: Francis Bonnefoy  
>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>Date: August 5th, 20XX

ADORABLE! XD

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: August 5th, 20XX

Can't wait; I should be there later today. Have you heard from Gilbert yet?

**X**

To: Francis Bonnefoy  
>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>Date: August 5th, 20XX

Not yet. I think he'll b here l8-er

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: August 5th, 20XX

Makes sense. See you in a few hours ;D

* * *

><p>Date: August 12th, 20XX<br>Dear manager,

I see that you are familiar from last year. Did something happen to the previous manager? How sad.

I'm writing to tell you that I believe there is something wrong with the plumbing in my building again. I believe there may be a pipe missing…

Hugs and kisses,  
>Ivan Braginski, Room 32<p>

* * *

><p>Date: August 13th, 20XX<br>To my stupid grandfather,

And so it begins…

Lovino

* * *

><p>Date: August 15th, 20XX~<br>Notice Board for the Bad Friend's Apartment!

This isn't a bad idea, guys. This way we know what's going on (_the rest of the message has been erased_)  
>-Francis<p>

Francis sux balls  
>-Gilbert XD<p>

Hey, hey! I want to try! Um…Francis looks like a lady~  
>-Antonio<p>

I hate you guys. So much.  
>-Francis<p>

* * *

><p>Date: August 19th, 20XX<br>Dear manager dude,

Do I seriously need to use 'dear'? Sounds so girly. Oh, and my brother's coming over this weekend. Thought I should let you know.

The world's hero, Alfred!

**X**

Date: August 19th, 20XX  
>To Alfred Jones, Room 50 Building 5<p>

One. You don't have to use dear. Also, don't call me 'manager dude'. Two, you better not be calling me girly. Three, if you are going to have a guest over, no matter the relation, you have to fill out the proper paper work. You can pick that up at my office later. Be sure to return it.

Four, when you are leaving a message, remember to write your full name as well as your room. You're lucky that you're the only Alfred in the building…so far.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: August 20th, 20XX  
>To 'Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5,'<p>

Well someone has a stick up their ass. And why do I have to fill out the form when you already know? Seems like a waste of trees and paper if you ask me. And I'm totally the only Alfred here! I checked. Alfred F. Jones is too formal, and makes me feel like I'm in trouble.

Alfred, Room 50 (fuck yeah!) Building 5

X

Date: August 20th, 20XX  
>To Alfred Jones, Room 50 Building 5<p>

You will be in trouble if you don't fill out the forms. It's so that we have records. Just do it.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

* * *

><p>Date: August 20th, 20XX<br>Grandpa,

You really need to stop avoiding me.

Lovino

**X**

Date: August 21st, 20XX  
>To my precious grandbaby,<p>

Well, it's nice to finally see that you've stopped yelling at me. Really, fourteen voicemails? I know you're not having that much trouble with your tenants. And not everybody is here yet, either! If you can't handle the early arrivals, then Grandpa's worried. But, I have a solution! If you open your mailbox, you'll find a little something I made up to help you out. Be sure to give it to all of your tenants, not just the ones who are here~!

By the way, when do you want to have dinner together? I was thinking this Thursday at 7. Grandpa knows this wonderful restaurant with cute girls and boys, whichever suits your fancy.

Love eternally,  
>Grandpa Romulus<p>

**X**

Date: August 21st, 20XX  
>Grandpa,<p>

I hate you. You're trying to embarrass me to death, aren't you? God, and I can't even change it! What did you do, lock me out of my own computer?

…make it dinner at 8. I have work to do.

Lovino

* * *

><p>Date: August 23rd, 20XX<br>Notice to All Tenants of Building Five

Hello~!

This is your building manager, Lovino Vargas! Welcome to all newcomers, and welcome back to those who are returning from last year~! Now, it has come to my attention that there are a few problems so far. To avoid a repeat of last year's fireworks fiasco, I've made up a list of Do's and Don'ts for living in SPQR Suits!

Do: Report to the manager (that's me!) if there is a problem with your apartment.

Don't: Cause said problem in your apartment.

Do: Maintain upkeep of your apartment. It's both yours and the landlords, and I know he won't be very happy if he has to come in for inspections and sees that there is mold everywhere, plumbing missing, _furniture_ missing, and holes in the walls _one more time…_

Don't: Steal water pipes and then say the plumbing is faulty. We're not buying that one again.

Do: Remember to fill in any holes that you make from putting up posters, zombie-and-Canadian survival plans, mottos and/or ways of life, your own constitution and/or declaration of independence, or notice of succession from the country and/or notice that your apartment is now your own country. Your landlord owns the entire complex, _it won't work!_

Don't: Make loud noises in the middle of the night. There are people who are trying to sleep around you, and if your landlord hears about another raucous party that he was not invited to once again…

Do: Have fun while you're with us…

Don't: …have so much fun that you get the police called over here. Or the fire marshals. Or the emergency services. Or animal control. Or religious officials (don't ask). Or the insurance company. Or the water company. Or the electric company. Or the morgue. Again, don't ask. He was only pretending.

Do: Follow the rules!

That said, I hope everyone has a pleasant stay with us this year. Don't hesitate to stop by!

Your building manager, Lovino Vargas

P.S., I'm single! (_This line has been crossed out viciously almost to the point of having holes poke through the paper_)

* * *

><p><em>Date: August 23<em>_rd__, 20XX  
>-Beep!- You have reached the voicemail of <em>_**Romulus Vargas**__. Please leave your name, number, address, and sizes (men too!) at the tone. –Beep!-_

"_Grandpa. I hate you. I really, really do. Why would you make the tenants think I'm sociable? I'm not you! God, I've already had five different people ask me out—and no, I'm not telling you names, or giving you hints. This has gone on far enough; I'm happy by myself, and I don't need you setting me up with anyone. Jeez._

…_Dinner was okay. I could have done without seeing my grandfather flirt with everyone around me, but I'm frighteningly used to it. Just make sure you pay next time; I don't want to have to explain things to the accountant again."_

_End of messages._

* * *

><p>Date: August 27th, 20XX<p>

**French_Rose** _has signed on._

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed on._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed on._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Why did u guys give me this name? I feel stupid…

**Awesomer_Than_U**: B-cause it fits. duh.

**French_Rose**: Trust me, Antonio. There is no other name that will do. These names embody our pure essence.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Ja, just like how I really /am/ awesomer than u 2.

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: If u say so…

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: BTW, did u 2 see the manager? Isn't he dreamy~?

**Awesomer_Than_U**: If u say so.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Well, he /is/ pretty cute.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: In a weird way.

**French_Rose**: You know, the lease agreement says that we need to write him letters to let him know about any problems we have.

**French_Rose**: Maybe you should take advantage of that?

**French_Rose**: You know, without making it creepy?

**Awesomer_Than_U**: I was about to say…

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Sounds good, talk 2 u later. Teacher's giving me deathglare.

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed out._

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Oh yeah, class.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: That's a thing.

**French_Rose**: I'll see you back at the apartment later. I'll cook something fancy.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Sweet!

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed out._

**French_Rose** _has signed out._

* * *

><p>Date: September 1st, 20XX<br>Dear Building Manager,

Hi! You probably don't know me, but I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo from Room 3 in Building 5. But, you probably know that, since you're the manager of Building 5. Anyway, I noticed that in the lease agreement that we're supposed to write you to let you know if anything is wrong in the apartment. Well, nothing's wrong, but I thought that that probably gets boring and lonely after a while. So, I thought, why not take advantage of the opportunity and be friendly?

So, how have you been lately? Whenever I see you around the place, you always have a scowl on your face. Is something bothering you? If so, feel free to talk to me about it! I'm a good listener (or reader, if we're going to be doing this by letters).

Anyway, reply back when you have the chance!

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Room 3 Building 5

**X**

Date: September 1st, 20XX  
>Mr. Carriedo Room 3 Building 5,<p>

While I suppose it is _nice_ to get letters like that, in the future please refrain from doing so. It's unprofessional, a waste of time for both you and me, and is a distraction from other letters from other tenants with problems.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5.

* * *

><p>Date: September 3rd, 20XX<br>To whom it may concern,

Hello. My name is Kiku Honda from Room 39. I do not wish to bother you, but I believe that there is a problem with the internet access. I have tried turning the cable box on and off as well as a myriad of other ways to try and restore it on my own, but I'm afraid that I am at a loss. If at your next convenience you could send someone over to inspect this problem, it would be most appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Kiku Honda, Room 39, Building 5.

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>Hey, Manager Dude!<p>

Did you know the internet's out? It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have work I have to do on it. So, could you get it fixed soon? Preferably before Friday?

The Building's Hero, Alfred of Room 50 (fuck yeah!) Building 5!

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>Manager,<p>

The internet's out.

Heracles Karpussi, Room 16 Building 5

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>To a very handsome manager,<p>

This is Francis Bonnefoy of Room 3. I figured that I should be the one to send you a letter on behalf of my roommates and I since Antonio has already sent you one and Gilbert will just be rude. I'm not sure if you've noticed yet or not, but I'm afraid that the internet is out. My suggestion is that when you get around to fixing it, if you don't do so yourself, you send someone who is beautiful on the eyes with a low pants line.

Or send someone without pants. I'm not picky ;)

Yours eternally if you wish,  
>Francis Bonnefoy, Room 3 in Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>Mr. Honda, Room 39 Building 5<p>

I already sent a technician out to look things over. He may need access to your room, so you shouldn't be alarmed. Thank you for a courteous letter.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>To all tenants of Building 5,<p>

This is a notice to let you know that I am well aware of the Internet issue and that something's being done about it. The technician may need access to your rooms to fix the problem, so don't be alarmed. This goes especially for the tenants of rooms 15, 32, and 37. You know who you are.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: September 3rd, 20XX  
>Grandpa,<p>

Did you turn off the Internet to my building again? There are better ways of getting my attention.

Like talking to me. Face to face. Or over the phone, if you don't want to do that. You could also send me a letter or an email or something. God, even a fricken smoke signal or sky writing would do! There's also word of mouth, text messaging, Skypeing, literally hundreds of different ways to get my attention _other than turning off the fucking Internet!_ I'm not talking to you until you turn it back on; the tenants are getting restless.

Your forever exasperated grandson,  
>Lovino<p>

* * *

><p>Date: September 5th, 20XX<p>

**French_Rose** _has signed on._

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed on._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed on._

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Fuck yeah, the internet's back!

**French_Rose**: You know Gilbert, we could've just texted if you missed chatting digitally like this.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: no fun. This way i can listen 2 muzik if u bore me.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: and mis-spell muzik 2 annoy Roddy next 2 me :D

**French_Rose**: It's no wonder he hates you.

**French_Rose**: Moving on, Antonio, how did the letter writing go?

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Bet u sukd.

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: He said not 2 write 2 him again :(

**Awesomer_Than_U**: b-cause u suk.

**French_Rose**: You're not going to let that stop you, are you?

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: No!

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: I'll write again. May-b this tyme he'll b nice?

**Awesomer_Than_U**: U kno u just admitted that u agree w/ me

**Awesomer_Than_U**: about Antonio suk-ing.

**French_Rose**: That's the spirit, Antonio!

**French_Rose**: But remember, don't be creepy about it.

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Yah, I don't want 2 scare him away…

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Stop ignoring me!1!1!

**French_Rose**: Well, we should get going now. You have a letter to write, after all!

**French_Rose**: For safety's sake, will you let me read it before you send it to him?

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: U won't make any weird corrections, will u?

**French_Rose**: No, of course not.

**French_Rose** _has signed out._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed out._

**Awesomer_Than_U**: …

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Fine. Didn't want 2 talk 2 u n-y ways.

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed out._

* * *

><p>Date: September 7th, 20XX<br>Dear (handsome and majestic) Apartment Manager,

I'm not sure if you remember my last (sexy and erotic) letter, but I'm (the totally kiss-and-spankable) Antonio Fernandez Carriedo from Apartment 3. I know you said not to write (wonderful and pleasurable things) to you anymore, but that just seems silly (_silly is crossed out and replaced with __**ridiculous**_). I'm sure it must be tiring (oh hon hon~) answering all those (infinitely more _boring_ and _chaste_) letters from the other tenants. Who knows, maybe my letters will be something you look forward to every week? (I know _**I **_certainly will~).

(Eternally yours,)  
>Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Apartment 3, Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: September 8th, 20XX  
>To Mr. Carriedo, Room 3 Building 5<p>

If you send another letter like the previous one, I will have to issue a restraining order. Or issue a citation for inappropriate behavior. Enclosed is a copy of the letter that was sent.

That being said, I'm pretty sure you didn't write all of it yourself. I understand, I have a grandfather who does weird things like that, too. Just make sure it doesn't happen again.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

* * *

><p>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Francis Bonnefoy  
>Date: September 9th, 20XX—12:37 pm<p>

Oh come on, you can't be upset with me forever.

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—2:43 pm

Antonio?

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—5:12 pm

Antonio, you're going to have to talk to me eventually.

**X**

To: Gilbert Beilschmidt  
>From: Francis Bonnefoy<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:30 pm

Why won't Antonio talk to me? Shouldn't he be over my little prank by now?

**X**

To: Francis Bonnefoy  
>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:32 pm

It's called the silent treatment. & apparently it works on u :P

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:35 pm

I told u it would work! U should listen to teh Awesome more often. Franny's climbing up teh wallz XD

**X**

To: Gilbert Beilschmidt  
>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:35 pm

Yah, but it seems a little mean :(

**X**

To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo  
>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:37 pm

Just remember teh letter he sent

**X**

To: Gilbert Beilschmidt  
>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>Date: September 9th, 20XX—6:38 pm

Oh yah :D

* * *

><p>Date: September 10th, 20XX<br>Dear Manager-Dude,

This is Alfred again, the building's hero! …but, I guess you knew that already. So, my brother's going to be staying over this weekend, thought I should tell you. Don't worry, he's really quiet so you probably won't even notice he's here.

Yours,  
>Alfred from Room 50 (fuck yeah!) Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: September 13th, 20XX  
>Mr. Building Manager,<p>

This is Arthur Kirkland from room twenty-three. Now, I'm sure that you have a busy and important job, but I should think that you would have time to regulate the people living in your building. Specifically, I mean the ruffians from room three who insist on playing every possible prank imaginable on me. I get enough grief from my boyfriend's brother, who is also coincidentally staying in this building, without the three of them stealing my newspaper in the morning, putting their trash with mine (_without_ removing the recyclables I might add!), and numerous other offences.

I implore you, sir, to _please_ do something about these three men. It is your job, correct?

Yours cordially,  
>Arthur Kirkland, Room 23, Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: September 13th, 20XX  
>To the denizens of hell (or Room Three if you wish)<p>

I hope you realize that this means war.

Arthur Kirkland

**X**

Date: September 13th, 20XX  
>Mr. Kirkland, Room 23 Building 5<p>

Thank you for letting me know about your complaint.

That said, I hope you realize that I'm not your mother, nor am I responsible for making sure that the other kids aren't mean to you. If it's something related to the lease or the rules which you read and signed a waver saying that you read them all, then I can do something about it. If not, then you're on your own.

I will have a word with the occupants of Room 3 about this, however.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: September 13th, 20XX  
>To the Occupants of Room 3<p>

I have been informed of your behavior from a confidential source towards other members of the SPQR complex. As stated in your lease, we have a zero tolerance policy concerning harassment towards fellow tenants, whether it be based on their religion, sexual orientation, beliefs, political orientation, etc. It is pretty much the only rule that we enforce as zero tolerance, which means that we of SPQR Suites take this matter seriously. If there is one more complaint against your persons for violating this zero tolerance policy then your lease will be viewed as terminated and the appropriate fines will be issued.

That said, don't be complete jack-asses. Use your heads; don't risk your housing just on a petty feud. There are better ways of annoying people.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: September 14th, 20XX  
>Arthur,<p>

It's on.

Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio

* * *

><p><em>Date: September 17<em>_th__, 20XX  
>-Beep!- You have reached the voicemail of <em>_**Romulus Vargas**__. Please leave your name, number, address, and sizes (men too!) at the tone. –Beep!-_

"_Grandpa. You should __really__ change that message before you get another lawsuit. It's really annoying to listen to… Anyway, about what we were talking about earlier; you really don't need to set me up with anyone. Seriously. I'm over Jacinta by now. She wanted Atanas, and I can live with that. Stop trying to set me up with people._

_I'll find someone when I'm ready. …*sigh* If you want, we can have dinner this weekend. I should be free anytime._

…_Love you."_

_End of messages._

* * *

><p>Date: September 20th, 20XX<br>Hello~

This is a notice to all residents from Ivan Braginski from room 32! I didn't want to resort to these measures, but since _**someone**_ is stopping my letters to the person involved (rather sneaky for a roommate to steal their friend's mail, don't you agree?) I felt I was left with no choice.

This is a letter stating my affections, feelings, and intentions towards Toris Laurinaitis of Room 41 in Building 5. I deeply care for him, but I'm afraid that my feelings haven't been reaching him. I blame one Feliks Łukasiewicz for keeping us apart. Now that I'm spamming this letter all over the place, I firmly believe that me and my beloved will be together forever.

Just to be on the safe side, make sure that you (whoever you might be) inform Mr. Laurinaitis that I will be waiting for him at the fountain in front of the library. I'll wait as long as I have to, but I would prefer a speedy meeting.

Hugs and Kisses,  
>Ivan Braginski<p>

P.S., don't you just hate it when the plumbing stops working for the building? Hu hu~

* * *

><p>Date: September 21st, 20XX<br>Dear manager,

I really don't mean to bother you since you're probably very busy but I'm afraid that I have a problem. You've probably seen the fliers that were scattered everywhere. Again, I'm terribly sorry about this. I've tried to talk to Ivan about things, and my friend and roommate Feliks has as well, but I don't think he really got it. My other roommates, Eduard and Raivis, end up being targeted instead.

He doesn't hurt us or anything! Sorry, I should probably have said that first. He just…doesn't seem to understand personal space boundaries. I've tried talking to him, but I'm not sure what to do now. Do you have any ideas? I would hate for the police to be called in, though no doubt Feliks has tried to tell you that they should. If you have any other ideas then I am open to them.

Thank you for reading this letter, and sorry for bothering you with this.  
>Toris Laurinaitis, Room 41 Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: September 21st, 20XX  
>Mr. Laurinaitis, Room 41 Building 5<p>

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. This is a serious matter, and I will take the appropriate actions available. I remember Mr. Braginski from last year as well as some of his previous actions. I will keep your name and those of your roommates out of this. If you wish, I can try to move you to a new apartment. I'm afraid you'd have to leave your roommates since we don't have the space to move the four of you together, but I have a couple of apartments that can take in one more person. It's a temporary fix, but I think it should work.

Come by my office in the main building later to let me know what your decision is.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: September 21st, 20XX  
>Grandpa,<p>

We're having some trouble with room 32 again…can you deal with them? That big guy is…well, big. And scary. And you know, I could totally handle him myself, but he lives with those two sisters of his and they're scary too! You know I can't deal with women like that…

…if you do this for me, I'll buy dinner later. My treat, whatever you want.

Your wonderful, caring, only grandson who you would hate to lose to a big wall of muscle,  
>Lovino<p>

**X**

Date: September 22nd, 20XX  
>Mr. Ivan Braginski,<p>

It has come to my attention from the various fliers that you laid out everywhere that you have been stalking one of our customers. I'm sure it's been mentioned many times, such as in the extensive contract that you had to sign to lease here, or in the rules that you also had to sign showing that you knew them, or maybe just in general from the various posters and fliers that we have up but there is a zero-tolerance policy concerning harassment of fellow tenants.

I am going to have to ask you to cease your behavior at once, as well attend mandatory counseling with the local university that you are enrolled in if you want to keep your lease. I will not force your sisters to move out with you if it should come to that, but I will have to ask you to leave if I find out that you are not going. This is a very generous offer, one that I think would be best for all parties involved if you take it.

Romulus Vargas, Owner and Landlord of SPQR Suites.

**X**

Date: September 22nd, 20XX  
>To my darling grandbaby,<p>

Oh, are we sending request letters now? You know you could have just asked me face to face to deal with Mr. Braginski if you were really that scared. You should show your cute side more often; it's such a waste otherwise.

And well, since you made such an offer to me, how can I refuse? After all, you are my wonderful, caring only grandson who I would hate to lose to a big wall of muscle after all. (Don't be embarrassed, I'm happy your actually trying to manipulate me this way; it makes you more cute and adorable~)

I'm thinking dinner at nine this Friday since it is my choice~ Be sure to bring the company wallet!

Your loving and devoted grandfather,  
>Romulus Vargas<p>

PS, you're going to have to find another place for Toris Laurinaitis to stay. I took care of the intimidation, it's up to you to do the hard part.

* * *

><p>Date: September 25th, 20XX<br>To the residents of Room 3, Building 5

This is your building manager, letting you know that you may end up having another roommate stay with you for the rest of the semester. If there is a problem with this, then you can send in a letter requesting something different.

…however, I think I should mention that if you let this person stay with you then you'll get the chance to annoy quite a few people. Just a thought.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

* * *

><p>Date: September 26th, 20XX<br>Notice Board for the Bad Friends Apartment!

Hey guys, it looks like we're going to get an apartment mate. I found the letter from our delicious building manager and sent in a reply. Just thought I would let you know~  
>-Francis<p>

You couldn't have let us known sooner?! I walked in and saw this meek little guy sitting on our couch; thought I walked in the wrong apartment at first. Jeez, you're always doing this!  
>-Gilbert<p>

Why do you get to be the one to talk to Lovino? It's not fair!  
>-Antonio<p>

Um…do I get to write on here too?  
>-Toris<p>

* * *

><p>Date: October 1st, 20XX<br>To: All Employees  
>From: Romulus Vargas<br>Subject: I can't believe the fire marshals were called in again…

As I'm sure you've all heard by now (and many have probably seen), we've had to have the fire marshals as temporary guests again.

I think I've made it clear on where I stand on that.

Attached is the report that I'm going to give to the marshals, unless someone has anything they would like to add.

Please, everyone, let's try to make sure this doesn't happen again. Even if the lights were rather pretty to look at.

*Attachment*

On the thirtieth of September, Mr. Leon Wang of Room 23 in Building 5 was seen and described by many witnesses, both residents and staff alike, setting up what looked to be a strange contraption with various 'things' poking out at around 7:30 that evening. Five minutes later, the witnesses claim that Mr. Wang struck a match and lit the 'things' on fire. Later, these 'things' were known to be fireworks.

The gathered crowd stood around for a few minutes, watching the fireworks light up the sky. The noise awoke me from my thoughts, causing me and several others to gather to the courtyard to see what was going on. It was shortly after this that the first person noticed the small fire that was starting to catch.

After a few harrowing minutes of getting everyone to evacuate the courtyard, my grandson, and the manager of the building that Mr. Wang lives in, was able to notify the authorities. About ten minutes after that, you the fire marshals showed up.

After questioning Mr. Wang, we were able to figure out that the reason behind his use of fireworks (even though he had been warned before) was because his long time boyfriend Arthur Kirkland, in his words, 'finally got up the balls to, like, propose to me already.' After talking with all parties involved, the decision was made to allow Mr. Wang to still continue to stay at SPQR Suites for the remainder of the school year, provided he does fifty hours of community service and allows random spot checks to see if he has any fire paraphernalia in his shared apartment.

So ends my report,  
>Romulus Vargas, Owner and Landlord of SPQR Suites.<p>

* * *

><p>Date: October 3rd, 20XX<br>Dear Manager,

This is Antonio from room 3 again! I thought I would just let you know what's going on with Toris since you left him in our care a week ago. The fireworks a few days ago were really pretty, so we all went out to go see them. Gil swears that he saw that Ivan guy there too, so we had to leave early. Francis said that he would hold him back while we left, but then we didn't see him again for the rest of the night. He wouldn't tell us what happened, though… What do you think happened?

Oh yeah, Francis, Gil and I were wondering if we could host a Halloween party! The lease said that there was a maximum number of people that we could have in the apartment before letting you know about it and getting permission, so I guess this is us asking if we can hold it. We were thinking of inviting everyone (well, maybe not everyone) in the building over or something like that. Probably around thirty people, really. What do you think? You're invited too, of course. Oh! You should also invite your grandpa, I think he seems like the type who would like this kind of thing.

Well, I should probably let you go. Remember, write back to me anytime you want!  
>Antonio, Room 3, Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: October 3rd, 20XX  
>Mr. Carriedo, Room 3 Building 5<p>

It's good to hear that Mr. Laurinaitis is adjusting well. I suppose that this means that you'll keep writing to me whether I want you to or not. …fine. Just try not to bore me too much.

If you do end up having a party (I'll have to ask my grandfather first), then it's going to have to be held somewhere else. Try outside if you have to; everyone else won't fit in the apartments.

That's not a dare to try to fit thirty people in one apartment. Don't do it. It's been tried before, and it led to an incident that won't be spoken of ever again. I think that was the only time I've ever seen my grandfather upset, actually… Let's just say that it involved having people break the fourth Don't on the Do's and Don'ts info sheet that was handed out. Again, you should probably talk this whole party idea over with my grandfather first.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: October 4th, 20XX  
>Dear Manager,<p>

Yay! I'm glad you don't mind me sending these letters to you! Maybe, we'll singlehandedly save the postal system! …Probably not, but it's nice to think that we would.

Also, could you get me your grandpa's mailing address? I have yours since it was included in the lease for the building, but if you could get me your grandpa's then I could ask him about the party. By the way, you still haven't said if you'll come or not. I hope you do, it'll be a lot of fun!

…that sounded like an interesting party. It's a good thing I didn't let Gilbert read the Do and Don't list or he would have had to try some of those things out.

Yours,  
>Antonio, Room 3, Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: October 5th, 20XX  
>Antonio, Room 3 Building 5<p>

Just so you know, if I find out that someone has done anything similar to That Incident, not only will I get my ass chewed out by my own grandfather, I'm also going to blame you idiots for doing it.

That reminds me, have you stopped your foolish war with Arthur Kirkland yet? I haven't heard anything from either party, but I see the things that go on around here. I'm not sure who started it, but you should really stop. Waking up to find articles of clothing strewn around the place and up a flag pole is not something I want to repeat. You're just lucky grandpa found it hilarious and that Arthur blamed it on someone else, for some reason. Something about disapproving future brothers-in-law is all I managed to get out of him…

On the other hand, I heard that he managed to sign all three of you up for Homemakers Monthly? The four of you have issues.

I attached grandpa's address to the extra paper in here. Who knows, maybe you'll want to bother him instead.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

**X**

Date: October 7th, 20XX  
>Dear landlord-guy,<p>

This is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo from room 3 in Building 5. I talked to your grandson, and he said that I should ask you for permission for me and my roommates to hold a Halloween party. Of course, you and Lovino are invited, along with a good portion of our building. We were thinking thirty or so guests, but Lovino said that we should probably hold the party outside. What do you think? Can we have the party?

Antonio Carriedo, Room 3 in Building 5

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>Mr. Carriedo,<p>

Of course you can have the party! But, you are definitely not having it in your apartment. There's not enough room, and I'm not going to go through the trauma like last time of someone trying to fit that many people into one apartment. Hold it in the courtyard; there's a lot more room and you can put up more decorations as well!

Actually, I have a lot of ideas for this party. If you want, how about you and your roommates come over to my office and we'll talk about this in more detail?

Counting down the days until the 31st  
>Romulus Vargas, Owner and Landlord of SPQR Suites.<p>

* * *

><p>Date: October 8th, 20XX<br>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt, Francis Bonnefoy, Toris Laurinaitis  
>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<p>

Looks like Halloween party's a go!

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt

Sweet! :D I'll start e-viting ppl!

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Francis Bonnefoy

Bon! I'll prepare the food and refreshments! Oh, and be sure to tell Arthur that he's invited, but not allowed anywhere near the food~.

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Francis Bonnefoy<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

Will do ;D

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Toris Laurinaitis

Oh, um, thanks for letting me know. Tho, I do wonder how you got my #...

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Toris Laurinaitis<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

Ur x-roommate gave it to Francis, who gave it to the rest of us. And of course you should kno about the party, ur going to help us with it!

**X**

Date: October 8th, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Toris Laurinaitis

…yay. I'll do what I can…

* * *

><p>Date: October 11th, 20XX<p>

Attention All Residents of Building 5 (And Beyond!)

You are all invited to the Bad Friends (+ Toris) Halloween Party on October 31st! There will be games, food (that Arthur Kirkland from Room 23 is not allowed to touch), drinks, and fun! The only requisite is that nobody mentions this to Ivan Braginski of Room 32. This is for various roommate-related reasons, and if anybody sees this gentleman or his sisters at the party, they are to report it to either Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Francis Bonnefoy or Gilbert Beilschmidt (phone numbers are at the bottom; warning, though, Antonio's taken! ;D).

It would be helpful if those wishing to attend would send in RSVP's so we know how much of everything to prepare. It _is_ first-come-first-served, so if anyone decides to bring extra people without telling us then you'll have to face the wrath of the other party goers.

Can't wait to see everyone there!  
>Antonio, Francis, Gilbert and Toris of Room 3<p>

* * *

><p>Date: October 14th, 20XX<br>Dear Lovino,

It sure was a coincidence seeing you at the market the other day! Though, I am a little surprised that your grandpa makes you buy everything yourself. How selfish and mean! :( Still, at least we had a nice conversation afterwards. Who knew that we both like tomatoes?

Oh yeah, what kind of music do you think we should have at the Halloween party? We were thinking of maybe taking requests, but then we remembered what happens when _we_ make requests. Kyle from 23 suggested The Veronicas, but we figured that some people might want hard rock or something. Well, as long as it's not trance or dubstep, then it's okay. I really hope you can come to the party! It won't be any fun without you. Even your grandpa said, 'If Lovi's not there then who will be my moral conscience and make sure I don't run the Suites into the ground?' I'm not quite sure what that last part meant. On the other hand, he calls you Lovi? That's kind of unexpectedly cute. Do you mind if I call you that too?

Still waiting for an answer about the party,  
>Antonio (I figure you probably know where I'm staying by now :3)<p>

**X**

Date: October 14th  
>Antonio,<p>

NO! Do NOT call me that! God, I hate it when my grandpa does, if you start then other people will too, and I'll never hear the end of it. Jeez, if it will stop you from calling me that and spreading it around, I guess I could clear out my schedule to stay for a little while. At the party, that is. And mind you, I probably won't even be able to stay that long. After all, Grandpa's going to be at the party the whole time, so someone's going to have to stay in the office to finish the work.

Well, I suppose I could be persuaded to stay for about half an hour. But only that long! So don't get your hopes up!

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

* * *

><p>Date: October 17th, 20XX<br>Dear Manager-dude,

This is the building's HERO! Alfred F. Jones, at your service! …So, my brother's going to be staying over for a few days again. Something about problems at his own place, I try not to ask. Just thought I should let you know he's staying over again.

By the way, did you hear about the bossin' Halloween party that the Bad Friends are throwing? I'm pretty good friends with Toris, who's staying with them at the mo', and he told me all about this thing. Did you know there's apparently going to be a live concert? Something about some blue-haired chick that my friend Kiku's obsessed with. I also heard that Arthur's fiancé got permission to use his fireworks again?

Anyway, I'll let you go now. Later, dude!  
>Alfred F. Jones, Room 50 (fuck yeah!), Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: October 17th, 20XX  
>Mr. Jones, Room 50 Building 5,<p>

I am going to need you to come to my office later to tell me _exactly_ what rumors you've heard about this upcoming party. I will also need you to tell everyone that there will _not_ be fireworks at the party. If I, or any other member of the staff here at the Suites, finds out that someone is trying to bring in fireworks or firecrackers, then severe action will be taken.

…I hope things work out for your brother. If not, then perhaps you should look into inviting your brother to stay here at SPQR Suites. Feel free to pick up an application for him when you come to my office later.

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5.

**X**

Date: October 17th, 20XX  
>Grandpa,<p>

Bad news. I just talked with a confidential informant who told me that apparently there's going to be a concert with some robot singing, clowns (for some reason), a water slide-_in the middle of autumn_-and, to top it all off, the whole fucking complex is under the impression that Leon Wang is going to put on a fireworks grand finale, and that we are letting him.

…Tell me the truth. Did you authorize these things? Did you forget about the fire marshals? The police? The insurance companies? The religious officials? I've talked with the ones in charge of the party and they've agreed to hold off on the fireworks.

Something about it being too ostentatious and clashing with their color theme. I stopped listening after the blond one tried to feel us all up.

I know you like parties, and I know you like going overboard on parties, but you have to remember. You're not in university anymore. You just let university-age people _stay_ at your housing complex. Your time is over. Move on.

You're exasperated grandson,  
>Lovino<p>

PS, stop telling people that you call me 'Lovi'. If I have to hear that one more time…

**X**

Date: October 18th, 20XX  
>Lovi, Lovi, Lovi<p>

You're no fun. And as a matter of fact, I _do_ remember the fire marshals, the police, the insurance companies, and _especially_ the religious officials. In particular, I remember the _lectures_ that they gave me, along with all of the _paper work_ that went along with their cheerful visits.

I may have suggested an ice sculpture in my likeness or two, but I definitely _would not_ allow more fireworks. The singing robot, on the other hand, is still a go. I can't help it, she's just so cute! XD

And what's this about some blond feeling you up? Give me a name, Grandpa's going to need to…take care of this.

Your loving,  
>Grandpa<p>

**X**

Date: October 18th, 20XX  
>Hating you and pretending we're not related,<p>

'Take care'? Grandpa, I think you've been seeing too many mob movies. I know you like the mafia and all, but still. And anyway, he didn't even touch me. Antonio got to him first, though it was weird since he didn't even notice that Francis (I'm telling you this in the hopes you don't actually do anything) was feeling him up earlier. Gilbert said that it was just something that Francis did all the time.

Well, a lot of people seemed excited about the singing robot, so I guess it's okay. …sorry to insinuate that you weren't thinking. About the fireworks and all. I've just been putting out rumors all day yesterday and today, so I wasn't thinking.

Anyway, we haven't had dinner in a while. How about Friday at 7?

Love,  
>Lovino<p>

**X**

Date: October 18th, 20XX  
>You love me and you know it~<p>

Apology accepted! Well, if the young man didn't actually do anything to you, then I guess I can't do anything to him.

Except raise his rent.

As for dinner, seven works for me but let's make it Saturday. I'll be busy all day Friday getting everything in order for the party. You know, I have to say, I really like those boys in Apartment 3. And I'm pretty sure that that Antonio boy really likes you, too. I know you don't like it when I give advice about your love life, but maybe you should give him a chance? And don't give me the whole spiel you have for why you shouldn't date anyone. Who cares if your about ten years older than him? Who cares if he's your tenant? People find that sexy, you know! And Grandpa wants you to be happy and have lots and lots of sex.

I'm sure young Mr. Carriedo wouldn't object ;)

Love right back,  
>Grandpa<p>

**X**

Date: October 19th, 20XX  
>Grandpa,<p>

You're obscene.

Lovino

* * *

><p>Date: October 22nd, 20XX<br>Dear residents of Room 3,

Hello. My name is Ivan Braginski. I'm sure I don't really need to introduce myself to you since you've seemed to have made an effort to exclude me from your Halloween party. This seems rather rude to me. Now, I'm willing to overlook this if you let me speak with Toris. Oh, I know he's staying with you. Truthfully, you wanted me to find him, yes? If not, then why did you include him on your flyer for your party?

Now, I'll keep my demands simple. I will be waiting at the fountain in front of the library. Toris will meet me in an hour, though I will wait all day again if I have to. Either way, if he does not show up by nine tonight then I'm afraid that I'll have to come calling.

Please do not keep me waiting again.  
>Ivan Braginski, Room 32<p>

* * *

><p>Date: October 22nd, 20XX<br>To: Francis Bonnefoy, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Toris Laurinaitis  
>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt<p>

Well…shit, guys, wat r we going 2 do?

**X**

Date: October 22nd, 20XX  
>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Francis Bonnefoy

Hmm… I have an idea. When you come back, try to calm down Toris. He's shaking like a leaf.

* * *

><p>Date: October 22nd, 20XX<br>Dear Elizabeta,

I know that we don't quite see eye to eye on a lot of things. However, I have a proposition for you. I will keep Gilbert away from your cousin, dear Roderich, and I shall stay away from him as well. The most I can promise is for a month, but think what a month it will be! In exchange, I would like you to meet up with Ivan Braginski at the fountain outside of the library sometime today.

Preferably as soon as you can.

You see, Ivan somehow found out about the party, and is now threatening our new roommate Toris. I'm quite sure none of us actually want that. So! If you can keep him away for the rest of the day (and preferably use your charm on him to make him **stay** away), then myself and Gilbert will stay away from your delightful cousin. Promise!

You'll also get all the booze you want at the party, no questions asked.

Love (platonically—unless you want otherwise ;D)  
>Francis Bonnefoy<p>

**X**

Date: October 22nd, 20XX  
>To: Francis Bonnefoy<br>From: Elizabeta Héderváry

You had me at the alcohol. I'm on my way over now. You better keep your promise, or else!

* * *

><p>Date: October 25th, 20XX<br>Dear manager,

This is Ivan again from room 32. I'm writing to tell you just how sorry I am over the trouble I've caused you, your grandfather, and the SPQR Suites. I may have been responsible for making you move Toris to another apartment, and for that I am sorry.

You see, the other day I met the most charming woman. Like me, she shares a penchant for swinging blunt objects around and hitting people with them; isn't she delightful? Oh, of course I didn't think so right away. After all, who was she to intrude on my supposed to be alone time with Toris? But then, after we both pulled out our respective blunt objects and talked things through, I found out that she really is a wonderful conversationalist. She even hates some of the same people I do, like that Gilbert Beilschmidt! Oh, she really gets me in a way that others just couldn't (sorry Natalia, I know you're reading this over my shoulder but it really is the truth. And besides, knifes don't count as blunt objects).

Anyway, this letter is to let you know that I'm giving up on Toris, so could you please let him know this as well? I'm not sure if Feliks was telling the truth or not about a restraining order, so I would rather err on the side of caution if at all possible. How ironic would it be to get arrested for violating a restraining order when I've finally decided I don't even want him anymore? Even more, if I was going over to apologize? No, I'm afraid that I don't like irony that much.

Hugs, kisses, and warmest regards,  
>Ivan Braginski, Room 32 in Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: October 26th, 20XX  
>Dear Mr. Braginski, Room 32 Building 5<p>

Well. I'm sure Toris will be happy to hear that. Um. Congratulations? And, um, good luck in your new relationship?

Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5

* * *

><p>Date: October 31st, 20XX<br>To: All  
>From: Romulus Vargas<p>

Attached is a live web stream of the Halloween Party! Come on down if you get a chance!

_-Click __here__ for attachment-_

* * *

><p>Date: November 1st, 20XX<br>To: Francis Bonnefoy, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Toris Laurinaitis  
>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt<p>

Dear Gott, wat iz that noise?

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Francis Bonnefoy, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Toris Laurinaitis<br>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt

Why iz the light so bright? Hangovers suk.

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

Yo sabe es el chico mexicano al lado. Es el Día de Los Muertos…Dios…

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt

…wut?

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

Sorry. I think it's our neighbor, Luíz or something like that. It's the Day of the Dead. Why do u keep making me think?

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt

Oh. Sorry dude. Wasn't it Day of the Dead yesterday?

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

It goes on for two or three days. Idk, I'm Spanish, not Mexican. Stop making me think w/ a hangover :(

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo<br>From: Gilbert Beilschmidt

Oh. Sorry. Shit.

**X**

Date: November 1st, 20XX  
>To: Gilbert Beilschmidt<br>From: Francis Bonnefoy

If I hear your phone make one more fucking sound, I will take it, break it, and throw it in the trash. Then I'll move on to your phone.

* * *

><p>Date: November 5th, 20XX<br>My dear precious grandbaby,

Well, wasn't that some party? Honestly, I'm not quite sure what day it is. It's not the longest I've had a hangover for, but it was decent enough. That's how you know it was a great party! See, you need to learn these things as you get older.

Oh yeah, I also sent out the photos that I had taken and they should be getting back any day now. Would you like to come over and see them? I know I got some good ones of you, especially with that nice young Spanish man.

You know, I do think you have a type Lovino. And that's not a bad thing.

So, how about we get dinner later at 8 and you can tell me all about what happened at the party after I blacked out. I know it was sometime around the time when the limbo tournament started, but after the chocolate fountain. I heard I missed the concert, but that's okay. I managed to get Mr. Honda to make a copy of his tape of it, so I didn't really miss anything…I think. Tell me the truth, did I miss out on Flamenco dancers and acrobats, or was that just something I thought I overheard while I was hung over? Well, we can talk about it at dinner.

Grandpa

**X**

Date: November 5th, 20XX  
>Stupid grandpa,<p>

I was starting to wonder if you were still alive since you haven't been into work for the _whole week_. Jeez, I think you drank more than everyone else did. You're sixty-five! Think about your age a little. On the other hand, things have actually gotten done while you were gone. Maybe you should think about leaving more often.

…What is this about pictures? Nothing happened, damn it! Well, at least nothing happened between me and Antonio, if that's what you're saying. As for everything else, you really did miss a lot of things. Like, Kiku break-dancing and beat boxing, the fire marshals joining in on the party and having fun, an elephant show of all things, and apparently proof that sentient life exists in outer space; his name is Tony, and he's friends with that Alfred Jones in room 50 and came for a visit. Now, one of these things is a lie and the rest are true. If you can guess which one's not true by the time we have dinner _at 7 like normal, reasonable people_ then I'll tell you everything in detail. I took notes.

If not, then you get to pay for the whole dinner. Have fun guessing.

Lovino

* * *

><p>Date: November 9th, 20XX<p>

To All Residents of SPQR

This is a general reminder from your Landlord, Romulus Vargas. I know this is a little early for some of you, but finals are just a few weeks away. Those wishing to stay over the break don't need to do anything different other than study hard for your finals. For those who want to go somewhere else over the break (don't worry, I'm not insulted. I myself am planning a trip to the Caribbean!) you will first need to inform your building manager so that we can get the utilities shut off while you're gone.

This doesn't mean that if one person leaves but the rest of the tenants in the apartment stay that the utilities will still be turned off. We had a problem with clarification of this type of thing a few years ago, so I feel the need to reassure some people.

Best wishes on your exams,  
>Romulus Vargas, Owner and Landlord of SPQR Suites<p>

* * *

><p>Date: November 10th, 20XX<br>Grandpa,

What's this about a trip to the Caribbean? Why am I only finding out about this now? Are you going alone? What about your work here? Is this because I said that we could run ourselves without you? Because you know I was just upset and venting, right? Jeez, why do you have to keep doing this?

And why the fucking Caribbean of all places? What, did Hawaii ban you or something? Why don't you just go to Rome or something if you have to leave? You love that place.

Can't you ever just tell me anything in person for once?  
>Lovino<p>

**X**

Date: November 10th, 20XX  
>My dear grandbaby,<p>

If you wanted to come with me so badly, you should've said something earlier! I would have invited you along. Or maybe not. After all, someone has to stay behind and 'man the fort', as they say.

I do love Rome. I grew up there, after all. But, sometimes it's nice to see other places too, no? And you know Hawaii loves me. We're just currently having a mutual separation is all.

It's too much fun to see you react whenever I tell you things this way. You're way too cute, you know? I'm not sure I want to share you with anyone else. It will be a sad day when you finally get together with that Antonio boy.

Don't deny it. I see how you two look at each other.  
>Your loving grandfather<p>

* * *

><p>Date: November 12th, 20XX<br>Dear Manager-dude,

This is Alfred F. Jones from Room 50 (fuck yeah!). Just thought I'd let you know that me and Mattie (my brother) are planning on leaving over the break. We'll be gone from the 20th of December until the 5th of January, so I guess this is Merry Christmas (or whatever you believe in) and Happy New Year all rolled into one!

By the way, thanks again for letting Matthew stay over. I won't get into the details, but it's for the best that he's out from where he was. You're a life saver, man (and not the candy kind, either!).

From, the Building's personal hero  
>Alfred F. Jones, Room 50 (fuck yeah!), Building 5<p>

**X**

Date: November 13th, 20XX  
>Manager,<p>

I'll be gone over break. Probably from the 16th until the 5th.

Heracles Karpussi, Room 16 Building 5

**X**

Date: November 15th, 20XX  
>Dear Manager of Building 5,<p>

I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly, but I have only just noticed the time. I'm afraid that I shall be leaving over the winter break on the 17th of December and won't be back until the 5th of January. I hope this won't be a bother.

Roderich Edelstein, Room 40 in Building 5

**X**

Date: November 18th, 20XX  
>To all residents of Building 5,<p>

This is a notice from your manager. I have already received quite a few notices from those of you who wish to leave over break. I know you're all studying very hard for your finals (I have to say that; I was a university student once, too) but I'm only taking these notices up until the twenty-fifth. If you're planning on leaving, be sure to let me know by then or else you'll be billed the expense of having the utilities on while you're gone. No one wants that on their rent bill when they don't have to.

Keep this in mind,  
>Lovino Vargas, Manager of Building 5<p>

PS…good luck on finals, I guess.

* * *

><p>Date: November 22nd, 20XX<br>Notice Board for the Bad Friend's Apartment!

I would just like to thank everyone for letting me stay here these past couple of months. Now that it seems that Ivan isn't interested anymore, I was thinking of moving back in to my original apartment next semester. I know we'll be busy with finals next week, so I wanted to go ahead and thank you now before I leave for winter break.  
>-Toris<p>

No problem, dude! You're pretty chill to hang around with. Come back to our place next time you want to have another movie marathon!  
>-Gilbert<p>

It has been wonderful having you as a guest in our apartment. I wish you luck when you go.  
>-Francis<p>

Wow, it's been a few months? Time sure flies, huh? Have fun back at your old apartment, Toris!  
>-Antonio<p>

* * *

><p>Date: November 28th, 20XX<br>To: All residents  
>From: Romulus Vargas<p>

Good luck with finals, and have a great winter break from everyone here at SPQR Suites! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get finished packing for my cruise…

* * *

><p>Date: November 28th, 20XX<br>Grandpa,

Fuck you.

Lovino

* * *

><p>Date: December 3rd, 20XX<p>

**French_Rose** _has signed on._

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed on._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed on._

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Guys. I need help.

**French_Rose**: Oh indeed? With what?

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: It's the end of the semester, and I still haven't confessed 2 Lovi!

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy:** Oh, & remember, he doesn't like 2 b called that.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: U sound lyk a girl. 'o noes, i haven't confessed yet!1! D:'

**Awesomer_Than_U**: That's wut U sound lyk.

**French_Rose**: Gilbert, shut up. Antonio, it's okay. I have another idea.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: U sure it's a good idea 2 listen 2 U?

**French_Rose**: It worked with our Ivan problem, didn't it?

**French_Rose**: Trust me.

**Awesomer_Than_U**: Well, we prbly don't have a choice. Antonio?

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Ur right, I'm desperate.

**French_Rose**: Hey!

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy**: Let's do it!

**Innocent_Fanservice_Boy** _has signed out._

**French_Rose**_ has signed out._

**Awesomer_Than_U** _has signed out._

* * *

><p>Date: December 8th, 20XX<br>To: Lovino Vargas  
>From: Romulus Vargas<br>Subject: Just checking in~

As you may have noticed by now, I snuck out a few days early. It wasn't my fault! I got a phone call saying that my reservation had somehow been erroneously canceled, so to make it up to me they were going to upgrade me to a first class suite! The only catch was that I had to be at the docks by yesterday, and, well, I'm sure you can imagine the hurry I was in. Oh, don't give me that pout. You'll do fine. And if not, there's always my second in command (or _secretary_ if you prefer) who can handle things at the offices while I'm gone.

Anyway, I wanted to find out how things were going with you while you're there. From what I heard, Antonio's not leaving until just before Christmas, correct? How's that going? Have you or he confessed yet?

Well, be sure to tell grandpa all about it; my new suite comes with free Wi-Fi!

Love eternally,  
>Grandpa Romulus<p>

**X**

Date: December 11th, 20XX  
>To: Romulus Vargas<br>From: Lovino Vargas  
>Subject: Re: Just checking in~<p>

Stupid grandpa, leaving early like that. Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, but the power suddenly (and randomly) went out over the weekend while you were gone. I've been working with the rest of the staff as well as the power company to try to get it back on as soon as they could. Stupid snow storms. I didn't even see your email until just now.

And I definitely did not freak out and think that you were buried deep under all the snow. I especially didn't wrangle all of the staff and as many tenants as I could into digging it up looking for you. Inconsequentially, we now have quite a few snow banks.

Well, as long as those bastards upgraded you I guess its okay. Be sure to charge as much to room service (if they have that) as you can. They definitely owe you, don't you think?

Have a good vacation; remember to soak up as much sun rays as you can, since I'm stuck here with all the snow.

Love  
>Lovino<p>

* * *

><p>Date: December 15th, going on 16th, 20XX. Midnight.<p>

Lovino sighed wearily, dragging his feet through the newly fallen snow. It was a good thing most of the tenants left as soon as their finals were done the week before. Already he was hearing news about more snow on the way, something that could have prevented them from leaving.

Lovino was tired. After having to explain to emergency services and the police about _where_ his missing grandfather was Lovino then had to run a few errands for the Suites, such as dropping off payment checks to the bank, meeting with the accountant, and having one very long phone conversation with the power company. A lot of people, himself included, would be very upset if the power, and subsequently the heat, went out in the complex again. Yes, it was a good thing that most of the tenants were already gone.

He was just passing by the remnants of the snow drifts that he and the others had made in their frantic search for Grandpa Romulus when Lovino heard the first sound of voices. Confused, he checked his watch again. It was just after midnight, and there were still people up and about? He would have expected them to be holed up in their rooms by now, snug and warm under many blankets. At least, that was what Lovino was wishing he was doing right now.

Before he could walk a few more feet a snowball came flying out of nowhere. It was only pure luck that Lovino dodged in time to miss it. Lovino stared at the smashed snowball on the ground blankly. What the hell?

"Lovi! Quick, take cover!" If his voice hadn't made Lovino's face red and his heart beat faster then Antonio's arms around his body definitely did. He didn't even mind the 'Lovi' so much, something he was sure would mortify him later. But for now, Lovino enjoyed getting himself caught up in whatever it was that Antonio and his stupid friends (because who else could it be?) were up to. It could have just been his imagination, but Lovino's body felt like it was weightless. It was only after he felt himself and Antonio come to a stop in the snow that he realized it was because the Spaniard had pushed the both of them out of the way, making them fall into the snow bank.

He couldn't be mad, though. Not when Antonio was laughing like that, not when he had that smile on his face. He looked so alive. Lovino felt his blush deepen. He was so handsome…

Antonio looked at him then, a twinkle in his eye that made Lovino's breath catch in his throat. "Careful, Lovi. If you keep staying in one place then they'll be able to get you!"

Lovino blinked. "What? Who'll get me?"

The sound of voices came again, louder this time. Lovino could make them out as Francis and Gilbert now.

"Come out come out where ever you are!" Gilbert's loud voice called. From where they were lying in the snow Lovino could see a single snow ball bouncing up in the air. Lovino frowned. He could understand the situation they were in just fine.

"I don't suppose they'll just let me by if I say I give up, will they?" he grumbled softly to Antonio. The fool just smiled at him again.

"Of course not! Now come on, we have to get to the other side of the court yard before they see us," he told Lovino rather cheerfully. "Our reinforcements are waiting there."

"What reinforcements?" Lovino asked, but was ignored when Antonio suddenly lunged up. Holding Lovino's hand in his own, Antonio took off across the courtyard without looking back. Lovino struggled to keep up, his breath coming out in furious puffs of air vapor. He could hear the other two start to run after them, jeering along the way. A snowball hit him square in the shoulders. The moisture seeped through his sweater uncomfortably. He shivered. Antonio noticed the action, glancing back and gaining a look of determination. They had just passed the benches when, to Lovino's surprise, Toris, Feliks, Eduard and Raivis from Room 41 leapt out of hiding and started pummeling Gilbert and Francis with snowballs.

"This is for keeping Liet all to yourselves!" Feliks shouted, laughing gleefully.

Antonio turned to Lovino, looking triumphant. "_These_ are our reinforcements. Do I deliver, or do I deliver?" Lovino had to hurriedly squash down the mental image of Antonio dressed as a delivery man…with _tight_ shorts on. Instead, he looked to the side and huffed.

"Considering you're the one who put me in this position, getting me out of it is the least you could do." Antonio only laughed at that. He still hadn't let go of Lovino's hand.

Francis and Gilbert fell back until they were behind a row of trees.

"Ha! You think that measly ambush can stop us? You're forgetting; Francis here recently got a new couple together, and they're anxious to show their thanks!"

"Nu fu fu~" A cheerful voice swept over the courtyard. A man wielding a snow shovel stepped out of the shadows with a woman holding a frying pan. Both had smiles on their faces, and neither looked like they should be messed with.

"I've always wanted to be a battle couple with someone," Elizabeta said in a silky voice that belied her brutality. Lovino felt a chill go up his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. Antonio pulled him to his side and away from the line of fire.

"I didn't think those two would be here," Antonio chuckled dryly. "This is going to be tricky…"

Lovino didn't notice anything else he might have said. He looked up at the sky as it started to snow once again. This time, instead of the harsh snowfall that they had had for the past week, soft flurries filled the air. He stared at them wonderingly, happy that he could share this moment with the man he loved. Even if said man was an idiot who dragged him into snowball fights at midnight and didn't even seem to notice the snow falling like he did.

The fight went on for a while. Nobody was really sure how long, since by the time they all trudged back to their rooms to sleep they were too exhausted to check. In the end, nearly everyone left in the complex joined in after hearing the ruckus. It wasn't divided evenly into two teams. People joined up with whoever they wanted, making and breaking teams just as quickly as anything. The one thing that really stood out in Lovino's mind was Antonio's breathless face over his, with the snow falling around them, as they told one another that they loved each other.

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><p>End of Chapter Forty-Four; Next Chapter's Coming Up Soon!<p> 


	45. Life 44 Our Life Together

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 44; Our life together.  
><em>_Summary__: __When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Superboring!Unsatisfying!Antonio x Lovino; Antonio and Lovino go through life, and love, together.  
><em>_Rating__:…K, actually. Wow. This is a first for me, I think.  
><em>_Disclaimer__: __I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no.__  
><em>_Warning__: Short chapters, trolling authors, my bad writing skills, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovino, mentions of two OCs.  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovino  
><em>_Word Count__: 371.  
><em>_Notes__: Trololo~ Told you it would be up soon! On a more serious note, I'll be attending an anime convention this coming Friday through Sunday, so the next chapter may be a little late. I'll try to get it up on Saturday, so you never know._

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><p>The story of Lovino and Antonio was a rather simple one. They came from similar backgrounds, lived in the same cities, attended the same schools, and traveled around in the same social backgrounds. They may not have had the same friends, but that didn't stop them from falling in love with each other. After graduating from university, the two moved to a nearby city and married on the anniversary of their first date. They both took up jobs and after a few years adopted two beautiful twin daughters. Their family was very happy for a long time. When Antonio was sixty three he developed a cough that wouldn't go away. A few months later, he died of pneumonia. Lovino lived a few years longer, dying when he was seventy in his sleep. Their daughters weren't sad for too long, though. They had their own loving families, and they knew that their fathers were together once again.<p>

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><p>End of Chapter Forty-Five; Next Up!—I'll Move Mountains For You!<p> 


	46. Life 45 Antonio Moves The Mountain

_Title__: 100 Lifetimes__  
><em>_Chapter Title__: Life 45; Antonio Moves The Mountain.__  
><em>_Summary__: When Romano finally agrees with one of Spain's corny ideas, they have no idea the journeys that that one decision will take them on, courtesy of a sneaky god.__  
><em>_Chapter Summary__: Clueless Farmer!Antonio x Clueless Farmer's Wife!Lovina; Antonio needs to move a mountain so he can prove his love for his wife. There may be other factors involved, but they don't really matter.__  
><em>_Rating__: T for a brief mention of drug use.__  
><em>_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hetalia in any of its many shapes and forms. I don't even own all of the one-shot ideas for this fic, since some were ideas suggested by my sister. Others are mini ideas that I had for other fics, usually just a scene or idea. These I do own. But Hetalia, no. I also don't own the original story that this is based off of. I just happened to read it while at a laundry mat, and decided to use the bare basics of the story here. I don't remember who it was by, just know that this isn't really original writing.__  
><em>_Warning__: Short chapters, my bad writing skills, etc…  
><em>_Characters__: Antonio, Lovina, Yao.__  
><em>_Pairings__: Antonio/Lovina.__  
><em>_Word Count: 2,395.__  
><em>_Notes__: Bad habits, author, bad habits… So, it's been a while. Yeah. …Blame the Avengers and the Sims, which I got for my birthday. So far, my Clintasha couple has had triplets, and Coulson is dead...again._

_Also, if you, the readers, have any pairings you would like to see, please let me know. Otherwise I'll just keep coming up with either the same boring pairings over and over again, or I'll be forced to use crack pairings. And I'm not going to lie, I rather like crack pairings._

_For further notes on the chapter, read the latter half of the disclaimer._

* * *

><p>Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer and his wife. This farmer and his wife, Antonio and Lovina, lived in a small village in the rural countryside. Life was fine, except for one thing. They lived at the base of a mountain that left their house in shadows and darkness. As a farmer, Antonio needed the sun light to be able to grow his crops. For several long years, he and his wife lived in the shadow of the mountain. Their crops failed and their house was in perpetual darkness and depression.<p>

Because of their proximity to the mountain, mountain storms would hit them regularly. Tired of always having to patch up their roof, Lovina gave her husband an order. He needed to find a way to get rid of the mountain so that they could have light in their lives once again. It should be said that both husband and wife weren't very smart. Antonio set off for the village proper to consult the wisest man who lived there, Yao Wang.

Antonio beseeched Old Master Yao for advice on how best to get rid of the mountain. Old Master Yao, amused by his plight, thought and thought for some time as he smoked his pipe. Finally, he came up with a solution.

"Here is what you must do," Old Master Yao told Antonio very seriously. "You need to go to the forest and cut down the biggest tree that you think you and your wife can move. Once you have done this, you both need to take this tree and ram the mountain as hard as you can to push it away."

This made sense to Antonio. It was all basic science and mechanics, really, with the tree acting as a lever of sorts, or in this case a battering ram. If you wanted to move something that you couldn't pick up, didn't it only seem logical to push it? With a plan of action in mind, Antonio raced to his house and found his prized ax. With a quick good luck kiss and an 'I love you!' to his wife, Antonio set out for the forest. He wandered around the great expanse of trees for most of the day, looking for the perfect tree.

Finally he found one that was big and sturdy enough that it could feasibly push the mountain away, but still small enough that his precious wife would be able to lift it with him. Antonio set about cutting the tree down. It took the rest of the evening for him to make it back to the house with the tree in tow. Needless to say, Lovina gave him quite an earful when he made it back home at dawn.

Not wanting to waste even a moment longer, Antonio quickly told his plan to his angry wife. Lovina couldn't quite find anything wrong with Antonio's reasoning and reluctantly gave in. They picked up the log, faced the mountain, and ran as hard and fast as they could. To their surprise, they didn't hit the mountain. Instead, they ended up running up the side of the mountain, quickly losing their momentum and dropping the log. The large log rolled down the mountain before coming to a rest against a few of the trees that grew on the mountain. Chagrined, the couple marched back home.

The next day, Antonio sought out Old Master Yao once more. Again, amused by their plight, Old Master Yao thought and thought. Finally, he came up with a solution. "If shoving the mountain away will not work, then you simply must try and _scare_ it away!"

Again, this made since to Antonio. Many times he caught his beloved wife running from their house and into the fields because she was scared of squirrels that somehow managed to make their way inside. It was a natural response, after all. Maybe not the being scared of squirrels part (his wife was just cute that way) but running away was definitely something that normally happened. Antonio remembered hearing once about the 'fight or flight' response. It seemed to him that the same thing would happen in this case. He only hoped that the mountain didn't try to fight them.

Antonio returned to his house and told his wife about the new plan. Lovina seemed skeptical but willing to go along with the plan. Together, they gathered up as many pots and pans as they could carry and walked resolutely towards the mountain. They exchanged grim looks and started making as much noise as they could to scare the mountain away. Birds from all over the mountain took to the skies, but the mountain remained where it stood.

"Maybe it's deaf," Antonio suggested. Lovina narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that the mountain's mocking us…"

Since there was nothing more they could do that day, the couple retreated back to the house. After sitting in silence for a while, the two decided that they must not have been scary enough. To Antonio, his beloved wife was too adorable to even be considered scary. Lovina's opinion was that the mountain (or whoever, really) would take one look at Antonio's dopey face and burst out laughing. Because they were in a stalemate, it seemed, Antonio vowed to return to the village to ask the Old Master for better advice.

The next day came bright and early, with birds still flying around the mountain ominously. Antonio took one look at this sight and set off determinedly for the village. He had to find some way to get rid of the mountain, and soon. It was starting to look very scary.

Old Master Yao was waiting for Antonio this time, no doubt having noticed that the mountain was still in its original place. Antonio was optimistic, though. He could have sworn that the mountain had moved a centimeter or two over night. Lovina claimed he was high and shooed him off towards the village. When Old Master Yao heard Antonio's theories on why the mountain was still in its spot, the old man was overcome with a sudden coughing fit. Worried, Antonio quickly fetched tea and snacks to help ease the old man's poor health.

It was while Old Master Yao enjoyed his snack that he gave Antonio his newest piece of advice. If forcefully ramming the mountain and trying to scare it away wouldn't work, then the next best thing would be to try and appease the mountain to move. Old Master Yao suggested that Lovina should bake as many cakes and other pastries as she could in a day and then offer them up to the mountain.

Antonio couldn't find a flaw in this plan. He also used this trick to keep his wife happy and to do things at times, such as to serve his favorite food once in a while, or to not make such a mess when she cleaned, or to stop hitting him when he made a comment that she thought was 'inappropriate'. If it could work on his (literally) hard-headed wife, then surely it could work for a mountain? Antonio once again thanked the Old Master and hurried on his way back home.

Lovina didn't quite like hearing the reasoning that Antonio had for why this plan would work, but it was worth a shot. She got up extra early the next morning and started putting her old family recipes to good use. By the end of the day, the small house was so full of sweets and breads that she and Antonio could barely move around without hitting something. Since cooking all of that had taken a lot out of Lovina, and Antonio had worked hard in the hard fields all day, they decided to sample a few of the sweets and breads themselves. They went to bed with full stomachs that night.

The next day Antonio and Lovina loaded up all the sweets and breads that they could carry between them and headed up the mountain. They weren't quite sure on what the best way to appease a mountain would be, so they started throwing the sweets and breads around the mountain while asking for it to please move. This went on for a few minutes before the first of the birds that were still flying around the mountain saw what they were doing.

The birds went directly for the free food and swarmed Antonio and his wife. Soon, they had no choice but to abandon what was left of the sweets and breads and head back for their house. Once there, Lovina stated that they would have been more successful if they hadn't eaten so many things the night before.

"Then we would have had some extra to fend the evil birds off with, and still could have appeased that stupid mountain!"

Antonio could see the logic in her explanation, but he also couldn't agree with her. They were really hungry the night before, and his wife's cooking was delicious.

"It's okay," he reassured his angry wife. "I can still talk to the Old Master tomorrow, right? I'm sure he'll have a better plan for us then." Reluctantly, Lovina let the issue go. They spent the rest of the day tending to the wounds they received from the angry birds as well as from their hasty descent down the mountain.

The following morning, Antonio hurried to the village to meet with Old Master Yao. He was desperate to solve the problem of the mountain, and nothing so far seemed to be working. Before he left, Lovina gave him an ultimatum—either get rid of the mountain, or she would leave. Of course, his cute wife threatened to leave almost every time they got into a fight, but Antonio didn't want to risk the chance that this might be the time she actually kept her promise.

Antonio found Old Master Yao sitting outside of his house again, smoking on a long pipe. He puffed out a few smoke rings as Antonio told him his tale and why he had to move the mountain this time. Old Master Yao sat in silence for a few moments, smoking contemplatively. A smile graced his lips as he told Antonio his plan.

"If all the conventional ways will not work," Old Master Yao said, "then you must try the mystical. I know of a way that is guaranteed to move that mountain."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Antonio cheered. He fell silent as Old Master Yao told him what to do.

"You must perform a special dance. This is a very powerful dance, so you have to do exactly as I say or it will not work." Old Master Yao then went on to explain, in detail, what the dance entailed.

Antonio hurried home with wonderful news for his wife; they finally had a way to move the mountain! Old Master Yao even said that if it didn't work, then he would personally move it himself. With that kind of guarantee, Lovina was sure to not leave! …also, the mountain would get moved. That was important for Antonio, too.

Antonio and his wife stood outside their small house, staring at the mountain. After explaining what the dance would entail, they were more than ready to move the mountain! First, they lifted their arms and started moving to the two-four rhythm that the Old Master had given them. When they were fairly confident that they had the rhythm right, the farmer and his wife started the next part of the dance—dancing backwards.

They were told that if they danced backwards for a thousand steps, the mountain would slowly but surely move away. Antonio and Lovina danced, keeping careful count in their heads. Slowly but surely, the mountain was moving away from them. When they finally reached the last count, they couldn't even see the mountain anymore. Finally, their troubles were over.

The mountain wouldn't cast a permanent shade over them anymore. Mountain storms wouldn't bother them anymore. This was all Antonio and his wife ever really wanted.

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><p>End of Chapter Forty-Six—Next Up! To Boldly Go Where No Hetalia Fanfiction Writer Has Gone Before!<p> 


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